The Loudest Dungeon
by Sheepsquatch
Summary: Ruin has come to the Loud family. Upon waking on a forgotten road in a dark country far from home Lori Loud must come to grips with her fear and strive onward to save her lost siblings. But darkness hides many things and despair can prove more insidious than any monster. Will the Louds prevail, or will they all fall to the vile machinations of the Darkest Dungeon. Art by Extricorez
1. A Baleful Beginning

**A/N: Well, here we are. Here marks the very first story I've ever published. I can only hope this marks the beginning of a long, fruitful experience for not only myself but for anyone who might take the time to peruse through this work of fiction. Now, being that this is my very first foray into the subtle arts of writing I would ask that all who read this feel free to offer comments and thorough critiques, such exegesis is heartily appreciated and my only desire is grow as a writer and learn to apply myself through the gracious advice of others.**

 **Such as it is, let us begin post haste.**

 **Disclaimer: I own neither the Loud House nor Darkest Dungeon. Such materials are owned by Chris Savino/Nickelodeon and Red Hook Studios respectively. This is merely a work of fiction for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

Pain

That was the first sensation Lori Loud felt. Pain, the kind deep in the bones past the muscles where every movement, every breath, sends a dull throb throughout the body and up the spine where it all culminates into a headache. There was nothing fresh about this kind of pain, there was no stinging or screaming, this was the kind of ache that veterans dealt with in their eighties that made them groan when they had to stand up, the aches of a person who had been dealing with past forgotten injuries for decades.

She was also a little hungry, but she'd deal with that later.

After lying on the ground and groaning for a few minutes the blonde teenager's eyes fluttered open and she hissed in pain. Seriously, what the hell? She may not have been the fittest person on earth but at 17 she was at least spry with youth, right now she felt like Pop-Pop, dragged down by the weight of age and a life of hardships. Also, the weight of the steel armor cuirass, pauldrons, and cuisses, that probably had something to do with it.

Lori groaned and strained against the weight of her armor, though she was surprised to find it didn't weigh nearly as much as she-

Wait, what the fuck?

Lori's eyes snapped open and she stared at her shoulder guards, then she angled her head down to stare at her chest-plate, then the steel boots on her feet. This continued for five whole minutes, Lori checked out every last detail of her new apparel from the leather straps of her dingy armor, the rough-hewn gloves her delicate hands were encased in, to the frankly ridiculous red-and-white striped outfit under the armor. For all intents and purposes, Lori Loud looked like something that stumbled out of a Renaissance Festival.

When Lori was done looking over herself she looked down to the left and saw what seemed to be a shield, an arm-mounted heater shield to be precise, with a three square design on it that depicted two separate black and white squares at the top and a yellow and black striped design below. Beside the shield was a mace, a ball of hardened iron studded with spikes attached to a long red handle. The spikes weapon and shield both looked to have seen better days and Lori couldn't tell if the spikes were red from rust or past... stains.

Lori decided she had enough of looking at weapons and turned her gaze to the road in front of her. Well, road might've been stretching it. In its heyday it was probably never even a road, it was barely a street, more like a dirt path that after what she could only assume had been years of neglect resulted in a patchwork of weeds, vines, stones, and grass covering it near entirely. Beyond that to either side of her was a forest, not that Lori could really see because the light seemed to be dark, not nighttime but definitely twilight, an all-pervading dusk that gave just enough light to be foreboding but not nearly enough to be useful in any way. Lori peered into the darkness of the copse of trees nearest to her and could distinctly make out some shuffling in the brush.

She turned her eyes away from the forest. Nothing for her out there, nope, no sirree.

Lori sighed and once again looked over herself, then back to the weapons, then back to herself, weapons again, before taking a deep breath, holding it in, and then letting it out slowly, a calm serene smile crawling its way across her face. This was fine, everything was fine, Lori was perfectly happy with the events that were currently unfolding. This was just a dream, just a weird dream and everything was going to be fine, all she had to do was pinch herself and then she'd wake up ba-

"Ow, God damn it!"

Lori rubbed the portion of wrist between the glove and shirt she pinched and bit her bottom lip. Then she stopped, and pinched herself again. Then again. Then she felt the gloves, felt the clothes on her skin, felt the heaviness of her armor and the way it pinched her gut when she bent forward to far, felt the way her muscles ached and the way her head hurt.

Then Lori screamed.

Lori considered herself the calmest of her sisters (a lie), she considered herself the most rational of them too (a gross exaggeration), many times she also considered herself the worldliest, the most experienced, indeed, the smartest (all blatant fabrications). But there comes a time when limits are pushed, lines crossed, and boundaries broken and the only proper response is to sit on your tush and scream your little heart out for mommy to come and save you. That's not to say Lori's reaction was childish or even unwarranted, waking up somewhere one didn't fall asleep, or finding oneself abandoned in a forest covered in rustic armor and garb from a bygone century, are all perfectly valid causes for concern. However, surprising absolutely no one, mommy didn't show.

Lori's only stopped her wailing when her throat gave out and she could only let out half-strangled gargles. Tears clouded her vision and she couldn't see anything, turning her head frantically from side to side as her ragged breathing drowned out any other sounds she might glean from the forest surrounding her. Mewling and trembling the girl stood on her shaking feet, stumbling slightly from the armor whose heaviness she was unaccustomed too (but again to her surprise it wasn't nearly as heavy as she suspected it ought to be). The teenage girl whimpered and tried to call out again, but her cries soon turned to hacking coughs as she stood there and cried.

"You alright there, Miss?"

Lori whipped her head around and wiped her eyes. Standing in front of her was a strange man, and it should be said that even if the man wasn't a stranger he would still be quite strange by all accounts. The man might've been tall once, but age and infirmity had stopped him to a slump. His face was haggard, with heavy brow ridges and wrinkles all the way down his long jaw. The old man was bald on top but still had dirty clumps of hair sticking out the sides which connected down to a short, unkempt beard. His mouth seemed trapped in a permanent, deranged grin and his hands clutched the air and tapped their fingers with a nervous energy, always moving as if not of his control. The man's clothing must have once been something beautiful to look at, the aristocratic trappings and designs not lost on Lori, but they and their owner had seen better decades, the purple cloth ragged and the collar torn at the fringes, covered in stains and dotted with holes. But what caught Lori's eyes, and what frightened her the most about this stranger, were his eyes. Or most precisely his lack of them. Though he peered at Lori and seemed able to see her, deep shadows cast by his brow utterly concealed his eyes and made it seem like he had none.

All in all, he was a ratty looking thing, playing all the part of a diseased beggar, or homeless cannibal, and Lori remembered her brother's warnings about their camping grounds having deranged tree people and...

Oh God, where was Lincoln? Where was Leni? Where were her sisters? Where the hell was she!? Feeling the onset of another panic attack the huffing blonde took several strides back and pointed a shaking gloved finger at the strange man.

"S-stop! Not one step closer!" Lori screamed.

The man, who hadn't moved a muscle since Lori turned around and didn't seem intent on coming any closer anyway, simply put his hands out, palms outwards, placidly, his grin growing wider and wider. Oh God that grin, the way it moved, like his skin was stretched too tight and when he smiled too hard it would just come apart at the stitches, things crawling in the open seams of exposed flesh...

Lori shook her head and glared at the man. "Keep your head clear," she muttered to herself, "don't get distracted, don't let him see that he gets to you, don't get scared now."

"W-who are you? Where am I?" Lori shouted, trying to swallow her fear with her spit and stop stammering like an idiot.

The old man simply sighed and tapped the side of his head with one of his eerily long, bony fingers.

"I'm the Caretaker." He simply intoned, then he thought about it for a minute before nodding, seemingly pleased with his answer.

Lori wasn't buying it.

"What caretaker? Where are we?"

"Your caretaker," he replied, and Lori felt a shiver crawl right up her spine when she heard the finality in his voice as he said it. "As for where we are, well we're on the road. And as for why, well you're here for the same reason I am, you were summoned, and so you came. Simple as that, really."

The Caretaker and Lori both stood there and stared at each other, him calm and still as a stone and her with bunched fists and hunched shoulders.

"That, literally, makes no sense."

The Caretaker barked out a hollow laugh at that and Lori flinched at the sudden noise.

"No, I suppose it doesn't. But take heart young one. It will, very soon."

And with that the old man turned on his heels and began to hobble along his way. Lori watched him go with a pit of apprehension nestled deep within her gut. The man made it about six paces before he looked over his shoulder at her and motioned with his head to follow. Lori stayed right where she was and the man turned around again after another five steps to see she wasn't budging.

"Well come on then!" he snapped, and Lori couldn't help but start when she heard the sudden ferocity of his tone. "The master detests tardiness," he said, his voice suddenly shifting back to the low, almost kindly one it had before.

"Like, why on earth would I go anywhere with you?" Lori snapped, and planted a foot in the ground to show she meant business.

The Caretaker sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, he was too old for this shit.

"Because you have to. The Master called out to you, and you came. He asked you, he told you to come, and now you are here, now you have a job to do. I know it's scary, taking on new responsibilities like this, you're afraid you won't measure up no doubt, that you're not up to snuff. But you know what I see when I look at you, conviction. You're not the sort to just stand here and admit defeat."

After that strangely rousing speech the creep turned around and began to once again hobble towards a dark mass taking shape in the gloom.

"Also, I'm about to leave without you, so if the desire to honor family agreements doesn't appeal to you, not being stuck in these woods at night might do the trick," he called over his shoulders.

Lori huffed and stood her ground. Scary as this forest might be her mother didn't raise an idiot, rule number 1 was don't follow creepy men and Lori wasn't about to break that rule now. And what was all that talk about honoring family agreements, and that 'Master' of his, definite red flag there. Option 1, the man was insane. Option 2, he was a murderer or someone who would sell her to this Master guy. Oh no, Lori wasn't going anywhere.

Somewhere off to her right the bushes began to shake and a high-pitched scream that sounded something like a man's howl mixed with the squeal of a pig rang out in the night air.

Then again it was getting dark soon and this kindly old man did offer her a ride, at any rate it'd be rude to refuse such a gracious offer. Lori made to follow the old man, stumbling only once in her armor, but she didn't get very far before the glint of metal on the road drew her eyes. The mace and shield, lying there where she left them. Lori hesitated only for a second before reaching down to pick them up, the heft of the metal in both her hands felt oddly reassuring and she moved her shoulders around in their sockets. It felt good to have a little protection she decided, and made her way through the dark after this 'Caretaker'.

After a few paces Lori realized the foreboding shape she saw earlier took on a far more familiar, though no less gothic, design. It was a fancy carriage, straight out of a fairy tale book, though one definitely more suited for, say, Lucy's tastes than her own. The whole carriage was black, with red curtains illuminated by the dull glow of a candle inside the rider's section. The carriage was being pulled by two enormous horses, each of them also a dark color, and judging by the way they stamped their hooves and snorted either very irritable... or very scared.

The Caretaker was already in the rider's seat, the lashes held tight in his leathery hands as he shushed the horses. Lori carefully traipsed around the brutes and looked up the Caretaker, he didn't look directly at her but his gentle smile belied a smug satisfaction at Lori's willingness to finally comply, however begrudgingly.

"Good to see you made up your mind, now hurry up my dear and get inside, you'll catch your death out here."

Lori caught the subtle warning and was tempted to ask if that was a threat before the rustling of the tree line behind her cut her off and she dashed into the open door of the carriage, slamming it shut behind her.

Lori breathed deeply and sat down on the velvet seat cushions, uncomfortable in her armor but also strangely at easy, at least she'd have some protection when this lunatic tried to shiv her.

"Get comfortable now, we've got a way to go, and we still have more passengers to pick up yet." The Caretaker said, before clicking his teeth and snapping the whip in his hands. The horses leapt forward and the carriage started with a shock that nearly sent Lori out of her seat. The going was only rougher from there, the road was in serious disrepair and the horses labored under the burden of the carriage and the lash of their driver.

As the carriage lurched along the path Lori tried to keep her balance and her head straight. _Right, so I'm not home anymore, let's get that out of the way right now_ , she thought to herself, _I've woken up in an abandoned forest, I have no idea where, I'm wearing old-fashioned knight armor, and I just got in a carriage being driven by a crazy man_. Lori straightened her back then slouched and let out a breath through her pursed lips.

"Right, I've gone insane, that's literally the only answer here."

"Oh, I certainly hope not," the Caretaker chirped from the front seat, "you'll find your job is difficult enough with a sound state of mind, though I personally find madness to be a pleasant change of pace."

Lori ignored the old man's quip and put her head in her hands, groaning and rubbing her temples she thought out her current course.

"Right," she said to herself, "First things first, gotta find out if the others are here, find my kids." Lori slowly looked up, nodding her head and smiling lightly. "Yeah, that's it, find them, then find out where we are, find out how to get home.

"Are you talking to yourself? You know what they say about folks who talk to themselves."

"Will you literally shut up!"

"You keep using that word, I don't think you know what it means."

"You think you could be the silent kind of creepy old man? Ya know, the kind that just stares at people and rubs his hands like he's thinking about something dirty, could you do that for me?"

"No need, we're already here."

And just like that the carriage gave one final lurch that sent Lori sprawling to the floor. She slowly got to her feet, groaning and glaring bloody murder.

"Gonna LITERALLY twist that old man's head off," she snarled and kicked the carriage door open. "Hey, what the hell's the big idea!?"

"Lori?"

Lori blinked and looked from the driver to the road and saw two oddly dressed figures standing near the carriage. Both were definitely women, or rather young women like her, maybe even younger though they each cut a strange figure.

The first girl was only slightly shorter than her and wore similar armor to her own, though instead of breeches a tattered dress waved about under the cuirass. A red ribbon was tied around her midsection and spikes adorned her cuisses and pauldrons. Her face was covered by a hood though Lori could see strands of resplendent blonde hair cascade down the sides. In her gloved hands Lori could see the girl held an iron club, which like Lori's own mace was also covered in spikes designed to crush and tear. If Lori had to describe what she was looking at, the term 'battle nun' for some reason came to mind.

The second girl was even shorted than the first, no more than a teenager Lori suspected, though she was dressed in a Victorian-looking era jacket, distinctly men's style too. Like all their clothes her's were dingy and ratty and her breeches were covered in dirt stains. Along the belt Lori could see a scabbard, though the cutlass was currently in her right hand and in her left she held a flintlock pistol. If Lori had to guess, this girl had the look of a robber to her, and this opinion was only corroborated by the red bandanna covering her lower face, but just leaving enough to expose the purple eyeliner and short-cropped brunette hair.

"Luna? Leni!?" Lori cried, leaping from the carriage and running as best she could in her clunky armor towards the girls. The nun threw up her hood and the radiant smile of Leni Loud shone out like a beacon in the gloom, while Luna pulled down the bandanna and flashed her older sister a grin. Both girls ran towards their sister and the three embraced on an abandoned dirt road, and though Lori still had no idea where she was she now knew where at least two sisters were.

The three girls cried and hugged, secure in the knowledge that though they were alone they were alone together. For a few moments their talking filled the air as they each tried to talk over each other, shouting out greetings, assurances, but most of all questions. Working themselves up into a frenzy, Luna and Leni both tried to ask their sister just what was going on, but alas Lori could not speak gibbering idiot. Annoyance finally overriding protective instinct, the oldest Loud girl took several steps backwards and gave a shrill whistle. On pure instinct the other two gave a reaction that would make Pavlov proud and snapped to attention, while Lori glowered at them like a drill sergeant.

"One at a time!" she barked, and Leni's hand shot up while she strained with a burning energy.

Lori sighed and pointed at her sister, "Yes Leni?"

"How are you doing Lori?" Leni asked, genuine concern on her face.

Lori smiled at her sister and chuckled a little. "I'm a little frazzled Leni, but I'll be fine. I'm just glad you're okay."

Leni nodded at that, any concerns of hers seemingly met as she immediately squealed and walked up to the two horses pulling the carriage.

"Careful, luv," Luna called out, then turned back to her older sister. "What's going on here Lori? What's up with this forest, and who done us up in these new digs?" she asked, gesturing at the outfit she was wearing.

"I have no idea Luna," Lori merely grumbled, before her eyes hardened into a glare and her mouth set into a scowl. She turned around to the carriage, seeing the Caretaker tried to reign his horses under control as the beasts tried to sidestep around Leni who looked very determined to hug them.

"But I think I have an idea who might."

And with that Lori marched her way back to the carriage, Luna nervously on her heels, peering all around her into the woods. The Caretaker shouted something illegible at Leni, who now had one of the irritable equines in a headlock as she nuzzled it affectionately, before he noticed the other two and grinned.

"Everyone present and accounted for?" he asked, and Lori snorted.

"Yeah, now spill the beans old man, why are we here?"

The Caretaker chuckled and reached into his robe, rummaging about for a few seconds before pulling out a letter. He barked out a laugh and leaned down from the side of the driver's seat, holding out the letter to Lori who hesitantly swiped it from his claws.

"What's this," Lori asked him, and the Caretaker shrugged. "It's your calling card, the Master left it for you. Very specific instructions mind, said to give it to the oldest specifically."

Lori wanted to argue but Leni's pawing at the letter pulled her back to the situation at hand, and she opened the envelope at the behest of her sisters, reading its contents aloud.

 _Ruin has come to our family._

 _You remember our venerable house, opulent and imperial, gazing proudly from its stoic perch above the moor._

 _I lived all my years in that ancient rumor shadowed manor, fattened by decadence and luxury, and yet I began to tire of... conventional extravagance. Singular unsettling tales suggested the mansion itself was a gateway to some fabulous and unnameable power. With relic and ritual, I bent every effort towards the excavation and recovery of those long-buried secrets, exhausting what remained of our family fortune on... swarthy workmen and... sturdy shovels. At last, in the salt soaked crags beneath the lowest foundations, we unearthed that damnable portal of antediluvian evil. Our every step unsettled the ancient earth, but we were in a realm of death and madness. In the end, I alone fled, laughing and wailing through those blackened arcades of antiquity. Until consciousness failed me._

 _You remember our venerable house, opulent and imperial, it is a festering abomination. I beg you, return home, claim your birthright and deliver our family from the ravenous clutching shadows of the Darkest Dungeon._

Lori blinked and shook the letter at the caretaker. "Is this supposed to be a joke."

The Caretaker scowled at the impudent brat before him. "No joke," he hissed, and Lori felt like she might've overstepped her bounds as she took a few steps back. "Your ancestor wrote that, left it for me to give to you, called for you to come get it. That's the way this works, no other way."

The three girls all looked at each other, confusion clear on their faces.

"Our ancestor?" Leni asked. "So, like, Pop-Pop gave us a mansion?"

Lori sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No Leni, ancestor means someone way older than us, older than Pop-Pop."

"Oh. Sooooooo... our Great Pop-Pop gave us a mansion?"

"...Yes Leni. Great Pop-Pop gave us a mansion."

Leni squealed and started jumping up and down, clapping her hands. Bless her heart but Lori couldn't stay mad at her sister, annoying as she could be at times. Luna chuckled at her sister's actions before leaning over to Lori.

"This sounds like a trap sis, or at least a scam. The Louds ain't exactly opulent last I checked, since when has dad or mom ever even mentioned an ancestor, rich or not. And that doesn't explain why we're here, or what's with the armor and weapons. I'm kinda freaking out here Lori."

Lori nodded and pulled her younger sister in for a side hug, breathing deeply and trying to calm down her now slightly shaking sibling. "I don't know what's going on her Luna," she said, "But I promise I'll protect you two, and I'll get us back home. But for now, it's getting dark, so let's just get back in the carriage-"

Lori turned around to see that the carriage and the Caretaker had both just up and vanished.

"Oh, you gotta be shitting me," Lori muttered, ignoring Leni's gasp at the swear. She walked forward, arms held out wide as she took in the grand and beautiful sight of absolutely nothing. "No, really, this is just fan-fucking-tastic! Just disappear, alright, not like we know where we're going, some caretaker you are asshole!" Lori screamed up at the sky and started kicking the ground and stomping her boots into the dirt road.

 _Brigands have run of these lanes, keep to the side path, the Hamlet is just ahead._

Lori stopped her tantrum for a second and stood still, then smacked the side of her head as if trying to dislodge the dour, masculine voice she just heard in her ears. _Oh great_ , she thought to herself, _now I'm going crazy!_ And so Lori resumed her thrashing with renewed vigor

Luna was currently having her own mental breakdown as her mind shut off from the sheer nope happening around her, Leni looked at the ground and kicked her feet, absent-mindedly swinging her iron cudgel about. She hated it when Lori shouted and cursed. She looked over to see Luna shivering and her big sister instincts took over. Leni walked over and wrapped up Luna in a big hug, and it seemed to do the trick as the younger girl leaned into the reassuring grasp of her older sibling.

"Oi, what's all 'dis then?"

Lori stopped her kicking and sighed, turning her eyes over to Luna and glowering.

"I'm not really in the mood for your British accent thing Luna. Also go drink some water or something, you sounded like a thirty-year-old man just now."

"Oi, you callin' me an invalid you tart?"

Lori's eyes widened, and she tensed up, her attention focused just behind Luna and Leni and the two other girls slowly turned around. Behind them stood a man, a gruff looking fellow, broad bodied and covered in leather armor, with a green hood covering his head. What really caught the girl's eyes though, were the short swords the man was holding in each hand, the man twirled them expertly in his grasp and loosened up his shoulders, flashing a wicked grin at the three young beauties in front of him.

"Imagine me luck, eh? I'm out havin' a stroll and I spy three be-yoooootiful lasses all alone on the road."

Leni grabbed her shaking younger sister and quickly started walking backwards to Lori who ran in front of them and started waving her mace around in what she hoped was a threatening manner.

'Piss off, leave my sisters alone!" Lori screamed, and the man sniffed and scratched his stubble.

"'Could do with a bit less attitude mind, rudeness that's what this is," the man huffed, then a cruel grin scrawled its way across his face and he made a chopping motion with his swords. "Might need to teach you birds some manners," he hissed, and started marching forward.

"W-wait," Lori screamed, backing up while trying to keep her sisters behind her. "We don't have anything, we're not even from here, you could help us." It was a desperate plea but Lori knew she had precious little else to do, with nothing to bargain with she was out of options. Predictably the man responded with a harsh cackle.

"Help you? Help meself more like, and you're all alone you say? Well then, guess no one'll be coming to your aid then. Right, lemme just run a little plan by you, nothing concrete mind, just spit-ballin' here."

"Alright."

"I'm gonna kill ya."

"Uh-huh."

"Then I'm gonna take yer valuables." The man spread his arms out and grinned.

"That plan literally sucks."

"Well, yes, from your perspective it might. But from my end the whole scenario seems the most sensible maneuver, luv." The man winked and gave her a cheeky grin before running at them with swords held aloft.

For Lori it was all in slow motion, the man charging, the swords rushing at her face, the screams of her little sisters. Her little sisters, without Lori who would protect them. This man was going to kill her, but more than that he was going to kill them. That didn't sit right with Lori, oh no, that made her mad.

That made her angry.

Lori's face set into a ferocious scowl and she screamed, charging forward to meet the man's own charge. The villain didn't seem prepared for his quarry to fight back and was further shocked when the young woman's shield collided with his body and sent him sprawling in the ground several feet away. Lori's breath flowed out of her in ragged gasps and pure fury radiated from her body like steam, she gripped the mace in her right hand tightly and bashed it against her shield, the clanging set up a nice backdrop to her screams of bloody murder. Luna and Leni's jaws dropped and their eyes bugged out, they knew their sister wasn't someone to be messed with when she got angry but they didn't think she was capable of that! And for once, Lori's fury was welcome, it made them feel safe. Their big sister was going to protect them.

The brigand cutthroat groaned before hauling his stinking carcass to its feet. He had underestimated this lass, thought her armor and weapons were only for show. He snarled and sliced his swords together. It'd be the last time he underestimated Lori Loud.

The brigand roared and ran forward again and just like last time Lori meet his charge pound for pound in steel and fury. Sword clashed against shield and Lori swung her mace at the man, catching him the left arm. The ancient weapon did its job, iron spikes driven by a ball of metal 3 pounds thick tore through flesh and crushed the bone of the arm as it rended the arm. The brigand howled and dropped his left hand sword, kicking out and catching Lori with the heel of his boot in her gut. Lori's armor bore the brunt of the attack though she still staggered backwards and gasped. The man fell to his knees and let out a torrent of curses as he gasped in pain and clutched his bleeding appendage. Lori caught her breath and marched forward to the kneeling cutthroat who looked up at the woman and tried to smile through the pain.

"Any chance for clemency?"

 _Dispatch this thug in brutal fashion, that all may hear of your arrival!_

Lori roared and swung her mace at the man's head. The resulting explosion was spectacular, a spray of gore spread out over the road as the man's head wasn't so much caved in as it was shorn from his very shoulders, showers of brain matter and skull fragments sprung forth and littered the ground for meters around and a torrent of blood surged from his open neck and showered Lori in a crimson baptism. The body shock once, twice, then collapsed in a broken heap at Lori's feet.

The red in Lori's eyes slowly faded and her breath came back to her. She idly wondered if she had really swung all that hard to warrant all that when the full weight of what had just happened crashed down on her like a tsunami. Lori had just killed someone. Oh God, she had murdered someone. It was in self-defense and he tried to hurt her sisters but dear God the man didn't even have a head anymore! Lori's shield and mace dropped from her hands and nausea crawled its way up her gut to her throat and she started retching. Her stomach didn't even have anything to offer so the poor girl just dry heaved as she screamed and sobbed.

It was too much, it was all too much. It was too much when she woke up all alone on the road wearing armor, it was too much when a creepy old man got her in his carriage, it was too much when her sisters got dragged into it, and it was too much when some man tried to kill her. Lori had just murdered a man, and what sickened and scared her the most was how easy it was, how good it felt to get stuck in like that. The way her blood boiled, the way her muscles ached when she blocked and swung, the sheer exhilaration she felt in the thrill of battle, the life-or-death stakes. How she felt when she smashed her mace into that man's head as he begged for mercy he wasn't about to give himself...

Lori fell to her knees and curled up with her head in her hands, her sobbing degenerating a ragged coughing fit as she sat in the blood and dirt. How long she sat there Lori couldn't say, but before too long she felt two pairs of slim but strong arms wrap around her and hold her tight. Leni and Luna didn't say a word, they just held their shivering sister tight against their bodies, lending any support they could be it physical or emotional. Lori sputtered and hacked her lungs up until her chest was sore and tight and her tear ducts had nothing left to yield. Her breath was raw and frayed as Lori tried to calm herself and straighten her back. Leni's arms wrapped around her body while Luna's grabbed her left arm and palmed he lower back, slowly the two sisters brought their guardian angel in iron armor to her shaking knees. Lori took a deep breath... and let it out slowly. She shrugged off her sisters and knelt down, grabbing her shield in her right hand and her mace in the left.

 _Continue the onslaught. Destroy. Them. All._

"Let's go," Lori muttered, and started down the trail.

Luna and Leni watched her go, awe, reverence, and a little fear in their wide eyes as they stumbled after her into the darkness.

* * *

The song of steel crashing against steel rang out in the night, an acrimonious caterwaul that rang throughout the forest for miles around, howls of rage and pain the allegro to the din of battle.

"For Christ's sake Luna, SHOOT HIM!" Lori cried, her shield held in both hands as she tried to block the flurry of blows from the cutthroat in front of her.

The trio of sisters had walked down the road for barely a few paces when another brigand charged out of the bushes and bull-rushed Lori. The man looked like he could've been the first one's twin, there was literally no difference between him and the first bandit physically, from the armor, the two swords, right down to the stubble on his chin. The only thing differentiating them was that this one didn't seem the talkative type, he seemed more like the murder them quick and steal their shit type. The man's heavy mass sent Lori sprawling in the dirt and if it hadn't been for Leni's quick reflexes with her cudgel her adventuring career would have been cut short then and there. Acting on instinct the sweetest Loud lashed out and caught the man in his chest with her weapon, knocking the wind out of him and bruising the flesh. The man lashed out and caught her across the face the handle of one of his swords as he wheezed and sputtered. Luna caught her bawling sister and dragged the two of them away as the brigand came to his senses and marched over to the still downed Lori. The oldest sister sat up and rubbed her head, groaning in pain until she looked up and gasped when she saw the cutthroat bring his swords over his head and then down. Reacting on instinct Lori didn't formerly possess the teen grabbed her shield and deflected the blow. This continued for some time, the villain would bring his swords up and hack down at Lori, trying to nick her in the arms or cleave her head, and she would parry him with her shield. It was a desperate struggle, one which Lori could gain no ground, her own arms cried out from the abuse as every strike sent a shock down to her bones, the flurry of his blows so fierce she couldn't even grab her mace and defend herself. There was no escape, Leni was hurt and Lori was incapacitated, that only left...

"Luna! Your gun! Shoot him!"

"What!?" Luna shouted, her eyes bugged out and face pale as she cradled her whimpering sister, her own face swollen and bruised.

"SHOOT THE MOTHERFUCKER!"

Luna's eyes flickered between the gun holstered to her side and her older sister, pinned on the ground underneath a maniac trying to cut her to ribbons, several times in quick succession, her breath quickening and hands shaking. Luna's mind was numb as she fumbled at her holster, hand trembling as she held out her flintlock pistol and pointed it at the man trying to kill her family. Luna's whole body was shaking but her attention was focused solely on the cutthroat. Luna's breath steadied, her grip became firm, her aim focused on the man's head as he turned his gaze over to the teen, eyes wide when he saw the gun.

"Gonna Light 'em Up." Luna whispered.

The gun went off with a sound of thunder, Luna's grip was perfect (though she had never even held a gun before, much less shot one) and the gun managed not to go flying out of her hand or break her wrist. The man wasn't so lucky, the bullet tore through his skull, exploding out the other side with a shower of gore, his right eye was sent flying and the left side of his head decompressed as the contents of his skull leaked out the gaping hole. The brigand's body fell on its side in a slump and Lori shot to her feet and stumbled over to her already mewling sister.

Luna's own moment wasn't nearly as long-lived as Lori's, though that's not to say it she wasn't cared for. Lori wrapped up her little sister in a hug and cooed into her ears, rubbing her hair and kissing her hair as she uttered words of reassurance. No, Luna was not a monster, no she wasn't going to jail, yes, she was a murderer. It was self-defense, he was going to hurt them, she had to defend herself. But they had to move, Leni was hurt and there were probably more highwaymen lurking nearby and they would've heard the gunshot, they needed to move now.

Lori shook her sister out of her reverie and picked up her other sister, the poor girl's perfect face had been marred by the monster's weapon and a disgusting red and purple bruise covered her left cheek, a little blood trickled out of her mouth's corner and Lori hoped none of her sister's teeth were knocked loose. That would have to wait though, they needed to get out of these woods first and back to town. No, Lori didn't know for certain there was a town ahead, but she wasn't about to let doubt get to her now, she needed to be strong for them.

So, she grabbed her sisters and shoved them forward down the road, they grumbled out protests but Lori cut them off with a snarl. They could argue with her and hate her all they wanted, but as God as her witness Lori was going to get them out of here.

And so, the girls continued on their way, two of the stumbling along as the other marched, two of them wide eyed and scanning the tree line while the other stared straight ahead with a scowl. As the girls carried on down the path they saw further signs of a bandit infestation along the road. Wrecked carriages, dead horses, luggage strewn about, and the corpses of men and women killed for their possessions piled up in the dirt. It was the first time any of the girls had personally seen such carnage and Leni started to whimper when Lori snapped at her, telling her to keep her eyes on the road and to keep marching. Luna tried to follow her sister's advice when she spied something glint in the fading light (when was that sun going to set anyway?) and made her way towards it despite Lori's sputtered outcry.

"Luna! Get your ass back over here!"

"Woah, check it dudes." Luna muttered, turning around to show her sisters a large purse clutched in her hands. Luna walked over them and opened it up to reveal the leather pouch was full of gold coins

 _A fortune waiting to be spent..._

The sisters all crowded around their prize, slack-jawed and bug-eyed, never before had they seen such treasures. Lori tore her eyes from the bag and slowly turned a suspicious gaze down each side of the road, before reaching out and pushing the bag into Luna's chest.

"Wait, we can't take this. That'd be stealing, and stealing is wrong," Leni cried, turning her nose up with a huff and planting a foot in the ground.

Lori rolled her eyes and scoffed at her sister. "Oh yeah, all these dead guys sure need the money," she snorted, nodding her head at the pile of corpses nearby. She turned to Luna and offered her a rare smile. "Good job Luna, keep an eye out for more, we'll need them." Luna grinned back at her sister and was about to say thanks when Lori suddenly scowled and reached out to grab her bandanna and pull her close. "Don't ever do that again," she hissed, and reached out to grab Leni's ear before she hauled her sisters back onto the road.

 _Leave nothing unchecked, there is much to be found in forgotten places._

The girls marched on like this for what felt like hours, Leni complaining every step of the way about her sore face. Luna wanted to grab up her sister in a big hug to make her feel better but Lori was having none of it. Desperate to get her girls out of the forest Lori pushed them on like a slave driver, snapping at every question and pushing them forward when they started slowing down. Luna wanted to yell right back at her, but she knew her oldest sister was just looking out for them. She was just as scared as they were, probably worse 'cause she had to be scared for them too. Didn't mean Luna appreciated being shoved around though, and she made sure to voice her displeasure every chance she got. Lori would ignore her and tell Leni to just be strong, they'd be in a town soon enough and someone would look at her face for her there. Leni sniffled and nodded her head in a rare moment of understanding, opening her mouth to say something when the sound of distant laughter cut her off.

The girls all flinched and fell to the ground, but the noise wasn't getting any closer. Lori held them tight and told them to hush before she started creeping along the road. Her sisters followed suit and after a few minutes of this the laughter grew more boisterous and the girls could make out a light ahead. As they crept ever closer the sight of a camp yielded itself, a bonfire in the middle and two more bandits sitting around it. One was a scrawny chap, similarly clad as his fellows but instead of two swords the man wielded a blunderbuss as long as his forearm, he was sitting on a treasure chest and telling a bawdry tale of boisterous bar maids while his fellow clapped his knees and bellowed with every wave of his hand. This second fellow was enough to give Lori pause, he was a veritable mountain of muscle, a giant of a man with forearms as long as she was tall, even when sitting on the ground he was as tall as his fellow brigand. He wore a similar green hood as his fellows but had no armor aside from a leather wrapping around his gut, and clutched in his left hand was a three-ball flail, each iron ball as big as Lori's head.

 _An ambush! Send these vermin a message: the rightful owners have returned, and their kind is no longer welcome._

Lori swore under her breath and tried to think. There was no way they'd be able to take on that brute, and that other fellow with the gun? They'd have to double back and try their luck going around them, that was the only way-

The crunch of stick cut off her trail of though and her head whipped to the right to see Leni's elbows leaning on a broken twig.

"I'm sorry!"

"Leni."

"I didn't see it!"

"Right, who's out there?"

Lori's blood turned to ice when she heard the brigand shout and she turned to see both men and stood up. The bloodletter was even taller now that he was on his feet, Lori had to guess he was about seven feet tall and about half as wide with those massive shoulders. The fusilier was standing beside him, eyes no doubt scanning the darkness ahead of them.

"That you Jerry?" The walking mountain hollered into the dark.

The gunman sneered and spat on the ground before aiming his gun right at Lori.

"Nah, jus' vermin."

Lori reacted on pure instinct, shoving Luna to the left as hard as she could and tackling Leni as she rolled to the right. As soon as she moved the ground where her body had been exploded into a shower of dirt as several bullets pelleted the dirt. The man swore and pulled out his bag of lead to reload.

"Damn, missed 'em."

"S'alright Jim, I got 'em." The bloodletter hefted his flail and began walking forward, and to Lori's horror he was making a straight line for Luna!

Lori leapt to her feet and charged for the large brigand, the man turned heard her and turned around, raising his flail above his head. Lori didn't see this though, all she saw was red as she opened her mouth and bellowed, a deep and guttural cry that shook her to her core. The brigand wasn't expecting it either and actually took a step back, faltering ever so slightly.

"Christ alive what the fu-"

The rest of his sentence came out in a strangled gasp as Lori closed in, leapt forward, and rammed her pauldron into his chest, the force of the blow not enough to send him to the ground but more than enough to knock the wind out of him. Lori fell to her feet and brought her mace around, crashing into his head where it embedded into the man's skull. Lori let out a victory cry that caught in her throat when the man's ham-sized fist collided with her face and sent her flying back. Lori groaned and staggered to her feet, terror in her eyes as she watched the giant stand up straight and tear her mace out of his head with a sickening pop. The man looked right her and chuckled through a broken jaw and an eye dangling from its socket, tossing the mace aside.

"Take more than that to put me down."

And with that said he lumbered his way towards Lori, whipping his flail around in wide arcs as Lori tried to dodge in her cumbersome armor. Alas, Lori was not yet totally used to its weight and she stumbled at a critical moment, and she could only watch as one of the flail's iron balls crashed into her chest and stole her breath with a strangled gasp. Pain filled her every being, like nothing she had ever felt before, Lori was fairly certain she heard something crack and the shirt under her armor felt wet. Lori gasped in pain and was forced to her knee, looking up through the tears to see the man raise the flail over her head, intent on bringing it down.

"Leave my sisters alone!" Leni screamed, rushing up to the bloodletter's side and swinging her cudgel. In a spectacular sense of combat prowess Leni had never before demonstrated she aimed her weapon not for the center mass of the man nor for his gut where the armor would protect him, but for his side where the spikes on her beating stick rent his flesh and tore through his body. The man howled and half-assedly swung his flail at the girl who quickly side-stepped the attack. Because Leni had come from the right the man had to use his left hand to try and stem the tide of blood flowing from his wound, the same hand he was using to wield his flail. Leni came back and swung her studded cudgel at his head, and brought it back for another hit, then another, then another, all the while screaming bloody murder as she worked the man's head into a fine paste that showered over her and Lori. It was an awesome demonstration of violence and if the man's head wasn't currently being ground into mash he might've learned an important lesson on the power of love or how family triumphs over adversity or some shit. As it was, Lori could only watch with stars in her eyes as her younger sister brutally murdered a man, and oddly enough she felt pride at the sight though the realization of it made her stomach churn.

 _Prodigious size alone does not dissuade the sharpened blade._

The shot of a gun quickly tore her from the sight and she saw and heard Luna swear and lower her gun, it seemed while she was preoccupied Luna had been diverting the attention of the fusilier, keeping him from taking potshots at her sisters. When she missed her latest shot, Luna decided that instead of trying the lengthy process of reloading she decided to instead charge forward with her sword raised. The brigand saw her coming and swore, dodging her strikes while he poured pellets into his blunderbuss. Lori was already on her feet, leaving Leni behind as went to work rearranging the bloodletter's joints into interesting shapes, charging for the man and pausing only to grab her mace.

Everything went in slow motion. Luna tried to swing her sword but the brigand leapt backwards and caught her in the gut when the sword passed. Lori screamed as tears billowed out of her eyes when the man swung his blunderbuss right at Luna. She was so close, just a little closer, just a little close, please God in Heaven just a little closer!

The sound of the gun firing was deafening. Luna was sent flying backwards, blood pouring out of her like a river as her chest exploded. Lori caught Luna's eyes as her baby sister hit the ground, open but not seeing, grey and glazed over. Lori howled in pain and rage as she collided with the brigand, mace forgotten as she took his head in her gloved hands and dug her thumbs into his eyes, popping them and watching the juice pour out of the sockets in rivulets. She brought his head up and smashed into the ground a dozen times until she felt the back of it crack open like an egg, she leaned down and bit his hooked nose off and spat it in the dirt, she brought her fist up and smashed it down into his face again and again and again until there wasn't anything left and all that was left was blubbering jelly, bubbles pooling in the open pit of blood where his mouth was. Lori watched the vermin below her quiver and mewl through his broken head, feebly trying to reach up and stem whatever it could. She watched until the fizzing stopped, the whimpers died, the struggles stopped, and the body went limp.

 _Decimated!_

Lori felt like she was dead, she staggered to her feet and turned around to see Leni leaning over their sister, her face in Luna's open wound, covered in her blood, arms wrapped around her. Lori limped over to her sisters, wheezing from the pain in her chest that felt like nothing compared to the growing pit of nothing inside her right now. She stood over the two and saw that Leni appeared to be kissing the gaping hole in Luna's chest.

"What the hell are you doing," Lori heard herself ask, but for the life of her she couldn't remember saying it.

Leni whipped her head around and Lori flinched at the sight. Leni's eyes were wide and red from tears and anger, her teeth bared like an animal's, that wound from earlier was still there, but what really made Lori's eyes sting was the blood that covered Leni's face. Her own sister's blood.

"WHAT THE FUCK DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING, I'M TRYING TO KISS IT BETTER!" Leni screeched. The two sisters held their gazes before Leni's face slowly broke and oh dear God she was broken, she looked so lost and broken right now as the tears ran down her soft cheeks and she turned back to her fallen sister. "It's all I know to do," the poor girl muttered through the pain in her voice, and she brought her hands up to the hole and bowed her face back down to give another flurry of kisses.

Lori broke too, the pitiful sight was just too much. Luna was dead. Her sister was dead, she didn't protect her, she couldn't save her. Lori failed, and that broke her. She sank to her knees and brought her hands up to her face, her own wretched sobbing joining her sister's.

Leni moaned and her hands grasped the ragged edges of Luna's wound, desperately trying to pull the flesh closed, trying to bring her sister back. Anything. Please. Please come back Luna. Leni's cries became a hacking fit as she grabbed her baby sister and pulled her tight against her in a bear hug. "I want my baby sister," she whimpered, "I want my baby sister, I want my baby sister, I want my baby sister, I want my baby sister, please please please, give her back, give her back, give her back."

Something happened.

A bright glare caught Lori's eyes and she looked up to see Leni glowing through her tears. Lori wiped her eyes and her mouth formed an o when she saw Leni engulfed in a brilliant light, a majestic incandescence that radiated sheer power, a golden inferno that spread over Leni like a wave and into Lori's eyes. She had to look away, Lori shielded her eyes from the light and turned her head and didn't dare look back until she could feel the heat of it dissipate, like a cloud covering the sun.

Luna coughed.

Lori scrambled forward on her hands and knees until her face was right in Luna's chest. The wound was gone, the armor looked like it had never even been damaged, the blood had been washed away by the light. But most importantly Luna's chest was rising up and down. Lori looked at Leni who was still crying but this time a quivering smile was scrawled across her face and she was casting her eyes skyward as tears cascaded down her face.

"Thank you," she whispered to the sky. "Thank you."

Luna coughed again and sputtered, then she moaned and tried to wipe her eyes. Her beautiful eyes fluttered open and she looked up to see her older sisters looking down on her, all tears and smiles, and she couldn't help but grin back.

"Man Leni, you sure got an Invisible Touch, huh girl?"

Leni laughed and brought her sister into a bone crushing hug, unleashing a flurry of kisses on Luna's face who could only grin and bear it and maybe tear up a bit herself as she tried to return her sister's affection.

Lori felt like she wasn't even real anymore. Her little sister had just been snatched from the claws of death right in front of her, it was no less than a miracle, maybe even divine intervention. A quivering finger reached out and touched Luna on the shoulder, grounding Lori in reality and she gasped and smiled, and the water works just came back on.

Luna looked over to her other sister and flashed a cocky grin. "Sorry for scaring you there sis, guess I just wanted to play the hero."

"You idiot!" Lori screamed, wrapping up her two sisters in a hug and holding them tight. The two girls returned her affections and squeezed her back. Their family was together again, snatched from the jaws of oblivion and delivered whole again on the other side, and they'd never be separated again.

This sentiment lasted a whole six seconds before the pain in Lori's chest became intolerable and she flinched, then shoved her way out of the group hug with a yelp.

"Oh no, Lori, you're hurt," Leni cried, bringing her hands up to her sisters wounded chest. "Here, let me help." Leni closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip, sticking her tongue out, deep in concentration she put an almost unbearable amount of pressure on Lori's wound and hummed to herself. This continued on for a minute until the poor girl opened an eye and glanced up sheepishly at her big sister.

"Did anything happen?"

Lori snorted at her sister's antics and kissed the top of her precious head.

"I think I'll be fine Leni," she gently chided, wincing as her sister helped bring her to her feet. Luna walked up and swung Lori's right arm over her shoulder while Leni carried the burden of the left. Lori glanced forward and nodded with her head. "Don't look now girls, but I think we're almost there."

The two girls looked off into the horizon. Beyond the forest and a mile off was what looked like a hamlet, and further ahead, looming over the town like a foreboding specter, was a great manor.

Lori stared at the sight, and in spite of everything that had happened, she allowed herself the fleeting pleasures of hope.

* * *

"Well this sucks."

Lori didn't exactly appreciate Luna's attitude at the moment but that's not to say she didn't agree. The hamlet had looked miserable even from a mile away and now that they were actually standing in it Lori didn't have words to describe it. The time of day wasn't exactly helping Lori's mood either, the sun had been setting for the past 15 hours and only now that they had made it to town was it getting dark. There was also the small matter of the gaping hole in Lori's chest, why she hadn't bleed to death yet Lori couldn't even fathom, but she decided to file that same issue under the folder of "Don't Give a Shit" right next to "What's With This Armor" and "Why Do I Know How To Use This Mace," and who could forget, "Why Is My Great Pop-Pop Talking To Me And How Do I Get Him To Shut Up."

Lori cast a side-long glance at a dilapidated wagon near the entrance of the Hamlet-

 _Women and men; soldiers and outlaws; fools and corpses. All will find their way to us now that the road is clear._

-and like a broken record there he goes again, his ragged voice echoing in her head as he ranted on about stupid shit she didn't care about.

Actually now that Lori got a good look at it, that was the same damn stage coach! The Caretaker was nowhere to be seen, but Lori had some choice words for the wretch when she next saw him.

The only one who's mood didn't seem sour was Leni, her infallible spirit shining through even here as she "Ooed" and "Awwed" at every ramshackle building, dour faced peasant, or dog sized rat that scurried by them muttering something about... warpstone? That was also going in the folder.

"It's not all bad," the ditzy blonde said, "at least we got those shiny rocks from that treasure chest."

Lori hissed at her sister to shut up through her teeth before quickly glancing at the sallow-faced peasants around them. Leni was indeed correct about earlier, after Luna's near-death experience the girls searched through the chest the brigands were guarding and found it full of emeralds, gold bars, and more of those gold coins. The treasure was being kept in a sack Luna found on the bloodletter's mangled corpse and was swinging heavily at her hip.

If any of the peasants heard the outburst, or even cared, they didn't show it. These people looked utterly broken, meandering about in a daze with blank eyes and open mouths like zombies. Aside from giving them either disinterested stares or glares from open doorways and alleys none of them had even really acknowledged them, hell the only person that had even talked to them was the gate keeper.

Lori breathed out of her nose as she remembered that fun exchange.

The girls had been stumbling about for what felt like and was in all honesty probably hours down the road, making their way to an imposing wall that jutted out of the countryside like an exposed rib. The sisters counted their lucky stars that they hadn't run into any more bandits on their way as they limped up the enormous gate that barred their entry into the hamlet they saw earlier from the hill. They stopped at the barred entrance, the gate had to be twelve ft. tall and enormous wooden spikes were driven into the ground around it, facing the road in an obvious threat.

 _Welcome home, such as it is. This squalid hamlet, these corrupted lands, they are yours now, and you are bound to them._

 _Thanks Great Pop-Pop_ , Lori thought to herself bitterly. Most ancestors at least had the decency to die before their descendants knew them and leave something neat in the will. Their ghosts also didn't generally haunt said grand-kids. At least Lori was taking insanity far better than she expected she would, not that it was any consolation of course.

"How much you wanna bet they've been having bandit troubles?" Luna quipped, and Lori was about to tell her to shut up when another voice cut her off.

"Who's out there?" a male voice rang out, still distinctly English but not nearly so gruff or strong as the brigands from earlier.

"Us." Leni shouted back, and Luna and Lori could only stare at her.

"That a fact?" Lori could see a shape emerge from on top of the gate, a sentry from the looks of it, the man was dressed in a constable's outfit and waved about a baton lazily. "And who might be Us?"

"Just some traveler's sir," Lori called up. "We've been on the road a while; our carriage was stopped by bandits and we had to fight them off. Please let us in, my sisters are hurt and I'm kinda bleeding down here!"

The lookout nodded his head slowly and brought up his hand to his chin.

"Right, but how do I know you're not bandits yourselves?"

Lori's mouth dropped. "What the hell are you talking about, that makes literally no sense!" She shouted up at the man, face red with frustration. "Do we look like bandits too you!?"

The man scratched at his stubble and pointed at them with his club. "Well, no. But these is tough socioeconomic times! I'm just saying, I wouldn't blame you lasses for turning to a little banditry to get through the month, I get it. But you gotta realize that these things have a way of catching up to you. One minute you're stealing some rich lady's pearl necklace and next thing you know some animal-themed vigilante is beating the shite out of ye."

"...Were you going somewhere with this?"

"Not really. Here, let me get the gate for you."

Lori groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. Just remembering the whole thing gave her a migraine. Was everyone around here an idiot? Lori's question was immediately answered when a crazed hobo darted out of a pile of human refuse and came shambling up them, covered in dirty, stained rags and his beard down to his testicles.

"The End is Nigh!"

The three girls just stared at him while his own dusty eyes, milky with cataracts, stared off into space, arms held aloft over his head and fists clenched.

"What end?" Luna finally asked.

"THE END! The one set into motion since the dawn of time, far before the stain that is humanity infected this planet like a blight. The all-consuming, all-knowing darkness will wash over us all like the tide, scrubbing away the unclean that is existence itself. The very same End your ancestor sought to hasten when he still had control over our wretched hovel!"

"Wait, how did you know we were brought here by this Ancestor guy?" Lori snapped, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Yeah, did you know our Great Pop-Pop?" Leni questioned.

"Aye," the man sighed, arms now wrapped tight around his emaciated frame and eyes still staring in separate directions, neither of them even in the same general direction as the girls. "He was a real asshole." And with that said the revolting creature dropped to hands and knees, crawling off into a nearby open door like a spider, raving about the End Times and generally acting like a nuisance.

The three sisters watched him go and stood there for several seconds after he disappeared.

"Well, that happened," Luna muttered.

"Great Pop-Pop wasn't a nice guy," Leni murmured, genuinely disheartened by the news.

Lori growled and jostled the two sisters still holding her up. "Hey, girls, not to be a bother a bother or anything, but I'm still kinda bleeding here."

Luna snorted and jostled her back. "You've been bleeding out for hours now, try not to put yourself Under Pressure here sis."

Luna and Leni laughed at that while Lori grumbled and winced at her sister's antics. The trio wandered around the town for a while after that, and Lori had to say, she wasn't impressed. It seemed the more she saw of this place the worse it got. The architecture, and odd mixture of classic Victorian gothic with some catholic themes haphazardly tossed in as well got increasingly more bizarre the closer they got to the mansion, Lori was pretty sure she saw a few people in robes chanting and bowing before a statue of a giant tentacle before they caught the girls staring and carted off their idol. Hookers and barely clothed tramps stood on street corners, sneering and whistling at anybody who caught their eyes. Naked street urchins played in piles of fish heads and fought tooth and nail with emaciated hounds over discarded offal while men laughed and bet on the fights. Drunkards stumbled around and released the contents of their stomachs over the road wantonly, hooligans openly brawled in the streets, battered women howled on the steps of decayed buildings, the whole place reeked of despair. At one point the girls passed by a graveyard, the numerous tombstones crumbled and covered in vines while wolfsbane bloomed in the well-fed soil, ironically it was the place in the Hamlet that looked alive. Kneeling in front of one of the graves was a stocky bald man with large round glasses atop his nose and a short beard. The mole-like creature shuffled off when he caught the girls staring at him and Lori shivered in disgust.

 _Most will end up here, covered in the poisoned earth, awaiting merciful oblivion._

Lori grimaced at every sight and felt a pit in her stomach. The place was sick, diseased, dying in front of her, had been dying for some time and either nobody cared or it was so far gone anybody who did had given up long ago. A few quick glances to her sisters faces confirmed Lori's fears that this was starting to get to her sisters as well. Luna's face was scrunched up and tears leaked down from the corners of her eyes, her jaw was set tight, but Lori could hear her mumbling something about finding the damn hospital repeatedly. In contrast to her sister, Leni was all smiles, but Lori had known Leni long enough to see how forced they were, how Leni's eyes focused only on the ground, never wavering or glancing at the insanity around her, but what worried Lori the most was how her sister hummed to herself, trying desperately to drown the noise out.

After an hour of wandering around the labyrinthine hamlet the girls found themselves back at the center of the town, where a old cracked statue covered in vines of what looked to be a priest embedding a sword into the ground greeted them. Lori groaned and shook off her sisters despite their protests. She took a deep breath and stood as straight as her wobbly legs would hold her and hobbled over to where two peasants were engaged in conversation.

"And that's when I noticed the bloke wasn't just ugly, he had gills! Also fins, and sharp teeth, and a fish head. Kinda embarrassed I didn't see any of it before honestly."

"Hey, fuck-face!"

"Yes luv," the man said turning around, though the smile on his face dissipated into a frown when he saw some blond teen geared head to toe in armor standing in front of him. "Hold on a 'tic, you ain't me wife!"

Lori scowled and cracked her knuckles. "No, but I'll beat you like she does."

The man genuinely smiled at that and wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? What're yer going rates?"

Lori's fist launched out and caught the man smack-dab center in his ugly mug, spinning him around on his toes causing him to fall face first into the mud. The man's companion looked down at his friend and let out an impressed whistle, then turned his head to Lori and pointed to his grinning face.

"Can I be next?"

"After you tell me how to get to the hospital."

The man frowned and scratched his scalp. "The sanitarium? Oh, that's right next to the abbey." The man pointed in front of him and Lori turned to see a run-down pile of rubble. The building was two stories tall, though the ground floor seemed to be a concrete wall, built on top of it and connected to the ground by a flight of stairs was a house with a cylindrical tower sticking out of its side. Both structures had seen better days, half the damn tower was gone and the crumbling fixture was kept up by wooden support beams. The house wasn't any better, there was no door to speak of, a gratuitous hole in the wall was barred with wooden planks, and the whole thing was riddled with cracks. There was also a little well in front of it and honestly it was the only thing that looked like it actually eorked in the whole damn town.

"Yeah, we all been seeing you girls trudge about, wondering why you was never stopping by."

Lori wheeled around and pointed a shaking finger right in the man's nose. "You mean to tell me we've walked by that stupid things a dozen times now an none of you though to point it out!" she screamed, face and eyes both red.

The man simply shrugged. "Figured you jus' wanted to do a bit of sight-seeing first."

Lori screamed and drove a gloved fist into the man's stomach, getting a sick thrill of satisfaction as he wheezed and fell to the ground in a slump next to his unconscious friend. Lori turned and hobbled back to her sisters (ignoring the man's strangled "Thank You") and saw that they had both crowded around the old statue. As she came up behind them Leni turned to her and nodded to the statue with a smile.

"Look Lori, it's Great Pop-Pop"

Lori blinked and turned her head up to stare at the mass of concrete and interloping vines. The man's face looked worn and haggard, his nose crooked and brow heavy not from age but stress more like. Even his statue looked ready to keel over. Lori saw Luna was reading the plague at the statue's feet, and she leaned down to get a look herself.

 _Here we commemorate our lord, The Ancestor_

 _Not sure why seeing as we all hated the prick._

Touching. It was no wonder the town wasn't exactly throwing out the red carpet for them if they all knew they were the so-called descendants of this Ancestor. Lori was just happy they didn't currently have an angry mob running them out of town what with how much they seemed to hate this guy, though honestly, she couldn't see anyone in this town mustering up the energy to do something even that strenuous.

The only question left, of course, was why they hated him. What did their Ancestor do to make the whole town curse him, was he responsible for the state of things around here, and if so how? Well, okay that wasn't the only question. Other such pertinent topics would include, 'Where the hell are we and how did we get here?', or maybe, 'Just who the hell is this Ancestor of ours we've never even heard about?', but Lori had honestly given up hope of ever getting a straight answer in this hell hole. Say, that's an idea, maybe they're in hell and they just don't know it yet. Sure, looked the part at any rate.

 _In time, you will know the tragic extent of my failings_

Lori decided that instead of voicing her concerns she'd instead tell her sisters the location of the 'Sanitarium' as the man called it. Luna predictably threw a hissy fit when she saw how close it was but Leni was just happy they found it. The three girls hobbled up to the building, Lori cursing at every step and wondering why a hospital wouldn't have a ramp, until they made it to the open hole whoever owned the place passed off for a door. The three girls nervously looked at each other before slowly crossing the threshold, necks craned as they peered into the dimmed halls.

"Yo, anybody there!" Luna called, and her voice echoed through the seemingly abandoned building.

"Please, our sister needs help," Leni called out.

"I'm literally bleeding out here!"

Lori pushed her sisters aside and shuffled into the hospital, glaring to and fro and she searched for a doctor. Lori shambled down the hallway with her sisters hot on her heels until she made it to a broken-down door with the label 'Office' carved onto the side. Lori sniffed and pushed on the door with a finger, the rotted old thing fell off its hinges and collapsed to the ground. Lori waded her way through the cloud of dust that rose, coughing and waving her hands as she looked about the office. The whole place was just as ramshackle as the outside of the building. Blueprints of the human body littered the ground, tomes of maladies and ailments were strewn about, broken glass littered the floor while their strange contents leaked into the wood, and a human-sized pile of wine bottles was heaped behind a desk.

Lori made her way over to the mound when the pyramid of alcoholism started to quiver and shake, the bottles cascading to the round in a shower of glass. Lori flinched at the noise and gripped her mace tightly when a snort emanated from the center of the mass.

*snort* "Huh? Whuzzat?"

With the crash of glass falling to the floor a woman arose from the temple of liquor. She was a meaty, stout thing, broad shouldered and heavily knuckled. She wore a strange headdress that looked like two triangles coming out either side, like most of the people Lori had seen thus far, convenient shadows covered her eyes and gave her an ominous appearance. Her attire was plain, a long blue dress and white bib with a knot of rope tied around her midsection, Lori suspected it was probably common nurse attire for the weird-ass Victorian times she and her sisters seemed to be stuck in.

The woman looked at Lori and snorted again. "Right, what's wrong with you?"

 _Oh God please tell me she isn't the doctor_ , Lori thought to herself

"Oh God, please tell me you aren't the doctor," Lori said right to the woman's face

The woman muttered and walked around the desk, wading through a sea of wine bottles to stand before Lori.

"Doctor's a strong word, but I like to think I'll get there soon enough," she slurred.

 _The front line of this war is not in the dungeon, but rather, inside the mind._

 _Yeah, you'd know all about Great Pop-Pop_. Lori sighed and pointed to her chest. "I got hit with a flail and it hurts. Fix it."

The "doctor" leaned in close and examined Lori's dented and blood-stained armor, modding and hmming to herself.

"Yeah, okay, that checks out." If she noticed Lori's unamused expression she didn't give it any heed. "Seems like an easy fix. Let me just get my saw and we'll get you on the operating table." The woman walked over to the cabinets and Lori chuckled to herself dryly.

"Okay, see, I thought I heard you say saw. But you didn't, of course you didn't, there's no reason why you would need-

"Aha, found it!" The woman reached into a drawer and pulled out a rusted saw covered in pink stains.

-Oh God you're not joking."

Lori started backing up and her sisters got in front of her, blocking the swift approach of the deranged doctor who tutted and wagged her finger. Her crooked smile spread ear-to-ear displaying yellow teeth and black gums, shadows still covered her eyes and Lori shivered in disgust and fear.

"Come on then, none of that now. I don't see why you're getting so worked up, it's just a bit of surgery. Now hold still."

The woman quickly advanced and held her saw aloft, a guttural cackle scrawling out of her throat. Luna screamed and Leni moved herself in front of Lori's chest.

"What in the name of Einshtein ish going on in here!?"

Everyone in the room stopped as a familiar lisp echoed into the office. Lori whipped her head around and saw a strange figure standing in the open doorway. The voice sounded feminine but you wouldn't have been able to tell based on appearance. First of all, they were short, only three ft. tall, and covered in a long robe that dragged along the ground behind her, a satchel and several globes filled with a glowing green liquid tied around her waist. What really caught Lori's attention though was her mask, long and crooked and shaped like a beak, it was one of those old-fashioned plague doctor masks you'd sometimes see in a Renaissance Festival. with a hood covering the top of the head and a wrap of cloth shielding the mouth. The strange, short gremlin waddled into the room and began to fiddle with the mask, pulling down the cloth and removing the mask to reveal...

"Lisa!" Leni lunged from Lori's side and wrapped up her baby sister in a big hug, kissing her flustered face in a shower of affection. Lisa struggled in her sister's grasp fro a few seconds before sighing and deciding to simply acquiesce to Leni's demands.

"Yesh, yesh, it'sh good to see you too, my dear shibling," Lisa huffed, but Lori could see from here she was blushing and a small smile had tugged up the corners of her lips.

Luna laughed and helped Lori over to the group hug as well, Lisa blushing as her older sisters fused over her. The young genius would usually claim human interaction was below her, but she was still four and thanks to her attitude it was rare to receive such affection, and recent events had greatly increased the poor girls need for sisterly comfort.

Lori sighed and squeezed her sisters closer to her. She had found another one, though it confirmed her fears that all the others were probably here at least she knew three were safe. As Lisa curled up into her neck Lori felt nothing could ruin this moment, not the creepy town and its residents, not the voices in her head, not even the saw currently pressing into her side.

Oh God Damn It.

The moment was thoroughly ruined as all the sisters started screaming and flailing around, trying to get Lori as far as possible from the unhinged woman who kept shouting at them to go in the waiting room and wait for their sister to get out of surgery. After a minute of shouting, swearing, and a plethora of vaguely threatening gestures Lisa finally managed to get a word in edgewise.

"I can asshure you Doctor, my sishter is not in need of an autopsy, merely shome light bandaging and what-have-you's."

The doctor looked pretty downcast at that and pointed the saw at Lori's gut. "You sure you don't want me to rummage around in there, might find something you didn't know about," she said hopefully.

"No, I'm pretty sure my guts are fine, thank you," Lori snapped, and the woman moaned and sadly walked back to the cabinets to grab some bandages and deposit her saw, whispering good-night to the tool and giving it a kiss.

As the Doctor cleaned and dressed the wound, and Lori had to admit that despite the insanity she did a good job, the three girls talked and discussed their current predicament.

"Temporal dishplacement," Lisa said matter-of-factly, pushing her glasses up. She cauht her sisters empty gazes and groaned. "We've be taken shomewhere we shouldn't, another dimenshion entirely I'd wager, one where the normal laws of biology, physics, and common decency no longer apply."

"And the whole Ancestor thing?" Luna questioned

"Look, I may be a genius but I don't know everything. At least not yet. I've been trying to research this phenomenon but I'm lacking proper reshources. When I woke up alone in thish place dresshed in such ridiculoush clothing I was speechless. As I explored the town everyone said I was the deschendant of thish dour Ancestor fellow. That they insisht on treating me like I'm the inheritor of thish God awful hovel is source of endlessh irritation!" Lisa spat... literally.

"When are you going to fix my hospital, you hack?" The doctor quipped, then flinched when she caught Lori's glare.

"As I was saying, thish whole scenario is beyond even me. I tried to gain access to the no doubt vast shtores of information held in our anceshtral manor, but this strange man called the Caretaker barred me entry."

"Wait, Caretaker?" Lori snapped, brushing the nurse off and leaning towards her little sister. "Ugly old guy, bald with a beard, always smiling like a creep?"

"Er, yes. He said the manshion was my birthright but I wasn't allowed inshide until you and the others arrived."

Lori snarled and shot to her feet, if she wasn't so angry she would have been shocked to find her wound was no longer bothering her.

"That ass left us out there on that road! I got a bone to pick with him, we're going to that mansion." Lori shouted, stomping her way out of the office.

"Oi, what about my payment!" The Doctor cried as the girls filed out of the building behind their oldest sister. As the dust settled behind them the Doctor threw her arms up and screamed. "Buncha tarts! Just as bad as He was, mark my words!" The woman fell backwards into her booze pile and lifted one of the bottles up to her mouth... then pulled the bottle from her lips and brought it to her eye. The woman groaned and threw the bottle across the room.

"Empty!"

* * *

As the girls made their way throughout the town Lisa relayed her own experiences to her sisters. Upon waking up in the Hamlet dressed as a plague doctor the toddler at first assumed she was dreaming, though this impression didn't last upon stumbling on her robe in the first three seconds and scraping her knee. From then on the pint-sized genius ran about screaming in circles while villagers watched as they drank their beer until she tuckered herself out. After that she sat in the dirt for a good hour, her brain in overdrive as it went over every possible explanation for the scenario she had found herself in. She didn't really get anywhere but the adrenaline she felt had left her comfortably numb and the girl got up to ask one of the drunkards where she was. After a long-winded exposition concerning her hitherto unknown ancestry she was directed to the skeletal remains of a looming mansion, where she encountered the completely unhelpful Caretaker who in turn directed her to the Sanitarium where she would hopefully get some answers.

When Lisa finished her story, the girls told her theirs and Lori handed her genius sister the note the Caretaker gave them before he disappeared. Lisa read the note over and over as they walked until the story took a darker turn as they came to the part where Lori killed the brigand that accosted them. Lisa was shocked, but Lori's relief her baby sister took a deep breath and patted her on the knee, informing her that she understood Lori had to make a hard decision and she didn't hold it against her. The further news of Luna's and Leni's homicides served to further damper her spirits, but it was Luna's death that made her stop walking.

Lisa looked up at her older sister with a mixture of shock and fear, tears already threatening to spill out of the sides. Luna immediately noticed this and picked up her baby sister in a fierce hug, shushing her and kissing the top of her head as she whimpered into her neck. Lisa was stunned, emotions weren't her strong suit yes but she wasn't a machine, she did love her siblings and this news that one of them had nearly died...

Leni tried to cheer her sibling up by mentioning that she had magic powers but this did little but confuse the tyke more. Lisa tried to wave off the light as a stress-induced hallucination, but Lori plainly told her that Luna had a gaping hole in her torso when she was shot and after Leni's little light show Luna was alive again and the hole gone. For once Lisa was left completely without an explanation, and the child prodigy surprised her siblings by completely accepting Leni's magic explanation.

"I'm a schientist," Lisa explained through her sniffles, "I accept that there are occurrences I do not fully understand at this moment in time, and I musht take steps to rectify this. Until then I can only accept that shomething undocumented did indeed happen, I have sheen enough strangeness of late to not rule out Leni's hypothesis."

Lori was impressed at Lisa's maturity and Leni was just ecstatic her little scientist believed her. Merriment slightly reinforced the girls made their way towards the grim specter of a building that leered over the town, Lori was honestly surprised it didn't just fall over onto the Hamlet itself. The opulence of the palace set a stark contrast to the overall condition of the town, Lori doubted her Ancestor ever went to bed hungry in his life.

 _This sprawling estate, a mecca of madness and morbidity. Your work begins…_

As the girls walked up the steps to the massive front doors Leni skipped up to the imposing threshold and knocked gracefully. Luna told her that wasn't how it was done and proceeded to smash her fists against the mahogany. Lori called them both idiots and grabbed the gargoyle door knocker and brought it down several times each with a loud bang. Lisa "Ahemed" and leaned out from Luna's arms to ring the doorbell, causing the other girls the rub their arms sheepishly.

"I said I'm coming!" A voice thundered from the other end of the door, and they slowly creaked open to reveal the emaciated carcass of the Caretaker leaning against the door frame, eyes still shadowed and smile still stretched wide and tight.

"You didn't say anything," Leni pointed out

"Yeah, we knocked," Luna snorted.

"I was taking a shit," the Caretaker stated matter-of-factly before turning on his heels and hobbling inside the mansion, gesturing with his hand that the girls should follow inside. The three girls all looked to the oldest for reassurance, Lori looked at them and flashed a grin before walking inside after the strange man.

The quartet quietly followed the man out of the foyer and down a hall, Leni took note of the ragged curtains and dust everywhere, Luna whistled at the acoustics, Lisa duly noted the impressive architecture, but what caught Lori's eyes were the portraits of the Ancestor and the stain glass windows, each of them depicting odd scenes of violence and insanity; in one the dead were rising from their graves, in another a disgusting mass of flesh twisted into the shape of a pig, in that one sailors were making deals with the unseen things from The Deep. Lori shook her head and tried to dislodge these thoughts from her head, she focused instead on the shambling thing in front of her.

"So, why'd you leave us on the road old man," she snapped, and the other girls sans Lisa flinched at the accusatory tone in her voice.

The Caretaker didn't even bat an eye. "You needed to know the stakes," he simply stated.

Lori glared and slowly shook her head back and forth.

"Not good enough, we got attacked, my sister almost died."

The Caretaker giggled at this and waved his hand.

"That's hardly a concern," he muttered, "I would have just bought another."

Lori's face went beet-red and she gripped her mace tightly. For a second she was tempted, oh God was she tempted. He wouldn't even see her coming. It'd be easy, like breaking a toothpick.

Leni must've added mind-reading to her recent repertoire because her hand was suddenly on Lori's, soothingly massaging it and bringing the mace back down to its holster on Lori's belt. Lori looked at her younger sister and the pretty blonde simply nodded her head and mouthed the word no. Lori snorted and continued walking after the man, and shortly afterwards they all found themselves out of the hall and in a waiting room, an inferno already burning in the enormous fireplace, fighting back the gloom and illuminating a sizable library of ancient tomes. Lisa seemed pleased by this and immediately went to work examining the books while the other three stood around and watched the Caretaker as he meandered about, lighting candles and muttering to himself. Before long he turned around and smiled at the girls, face still obscured despite the light.

"Right then my dears. You've all done well so far, but your journey is far from over. I see you have questions so I'll just get down to it. Bedrooms are upstairs, there are two bathrooms upstairs and two down here, and the kitchen is on the other side of the lobby, I'll go scour the local peasantry and see if I can't drum up some cooks and maids for you girls, can't have royalty doing all that themselves, no you'll be much too busy to concern yourself with such matters." He winked at them and clapped his hands before turning around and making for the door.

"Wait, no hold on!" Lori shouted, and the Caretaker turned with a "Hmmm?".

"You aren't leaving yet. Where are we, what are we doing here. I know our Ancestor left this place for us but what is this job we're supposed to be doing?"

The Caretaker looked at her for a few seconds before barking out a laugh, slapping his head with a taloned hand.

"Cor, but I can't believe I forgot," he chided himself. "You said it yerself lass, this is your town now, and your Ancestor asked you to come so you could set right what he broke."

"What, like the town," Leni chimed.

"Place does look pretty run down." Luna observed.

The Caretaker shrugged. "I mean sure, fixing the place up would make things easier for you in the long run. But what I meant was fighting back the all-hungering corruption eating away at the seams of reality itself. There's also the matter of undead hordes raising the countryside, the disgusting cannibalistic swine-men he created and ultimately discarded, the festering abominations lurking in the woods, the brigand army he hired that pillage the Hamlet from time time also need tending to I suppose, then there's the eldritch horrors from The Deep he tried to cheat, they're still mad about that, and that's nothing to say about the vampire court lurking near by, you'll have to see to that as well. But, you'll be happy to note I've compiled a to-do list for you girls, its not much yet but I'll add to it as you go along."

The Caretaker rummaged through his robe for a few seconds before pulling out piece of parchment with hastily scribbled instructions scrawled on its side. He chuckled and handed the note out to Lori who made absolutely no move to grab it as she and her sisters all stood blank-eyed and slack-jawed. The awkward exchange continued for a minute until the Caretaker shuffled towards the eldest Loud and gingerly shoved the paper into her left hand and gave her a pat on the head before he quickly shuffled out of the study.

The door slammed shut behind him and the Lori could hear the Caretaker's cackle from the other side.

* * *

 **A/N: Well now, it would certainly appear those Loud girls have found themselves in quite the pickle, the poor little things. And so ends the first chapter of this story, I can only hope you all find it as entertaining to read as I did to write.**

 **As always comments and critiques are welcomed, so feel free to leave me a review and let me know what you liked, what you thought needed improvement, or if you just have any questions you'd like me to answer. I'll try and keep track of such things and will do my best to answer them in a timely fashion.**


	2. Into the Ruins

**A/N: Well, here we are again. Still getting used to the whole format but I think I'm slowly starting to figure it out. I just hope my general incompetence concerning machines doesn't hamper your ability to enjoy this fic!**

 **Last time Lori, Leni, and Luna had their worldviews thoroughly shaken: murder, intrigue, and despair have settled into their souls. The question then becomes, what affect will such despondency have on them? At least they picked up a straggler in the form of their diminutive sister Lisa, which only confirms that the rest of the family is here as well. Now where could they be? Perhaps in those foreboding ruins over yonder!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I own neither the Loud House nor Darkest Dungeon. Such materials are owned by Chris Savino/Nickelodeon and Red Hook Studios respectively. This is merely a work of fiction for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

Lori Loud awoke with a snort, shaking her head back and forth as she spasmed in her bed. Her eyes shot open and she blinked rapidly, breathing heavily as she gripped the bed sheets tight in her hands. After a few seconds, her grip slacked and a smile of relief slowly spread across her face.

 _That was one freaky dream_ , she thought to herself, and chuckled a little as it all came back to her. Waking up in a creepy road, Luna almost dying, ending up in a Hamlet owned by some Ancestor she had never heard about, and what was all that about fighting monsters. Lori wiped her brow and snorted, it was all probably because she was playing too many of Lincoln's videogames, had to be.

Lori tried to sit up straight but a sudden weight pulled her back down to the bed. She looked to her right and found her younger sister Leni cuddled up next to her, the sixteen-year-old was snoring lightly with a look of perfect contentment on her face. Despite herself Lori couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's antics and leaned over to give her a kiss on her head. Leni hadn't tried to sleep with her big sister in years, poor thing must've had a nightmare, looks like it had been a rough night for both of them. But there was nothing to worry about now, they were safe here in their queen-sized Victorian bed, complete with ornate carvings in the bark detailing battles of valiant crusaders against piranha-headed fishmen, as the glow from the rising sun peaked through the curtains and Goddammit it wasn't a dream.

Lori shoved off her sister despite her mewls of protest and shot out of bed. As she got up she looked down at herself and saw she was wearing a grey sleeping gown that went down to her feet and lightly trailed against the ground. Lori groaned and massaged her temples, it wasn't a dream, they were actually in some crazy Hamlet in the middle of nowhere, they actually did kill some bandits on the road, Luna did almost die out there. Lori whimpered and held her head in her hands, trying to calm herself while Leni whined and shuffled on the bed, bundling up the covers and rolling into a ball.

"Five more minutes mommy," she murmured, snuggling further into the folds of the admittedly very comfortable bed until she was no longer visible among the blankets.

Lori snorted and stalked over to her slumbering sister. She leaned down to the sleeping angel, and promptly rapped her knuckles against her skull, creating a noise not unlike that of a bongo drum.

"WAKE UP!" Lori shouted into Leni's ears.

The poor girl started thrashing about, her walls of comfort now a stifling prison she had to free herself from. This ruckus lasted a total of thirty seconds until it met its inevitable conclusion with the blankets strewn about the room and Leni on the floor. It was a rare moment of jocularity and Lori indulged herself by grabbing her sides and laughing her ass off while Leni sniffled on the floor.

"Not funny," the girl whined from her position, head-first on the floor and her legs still in the bed. "Why did you wake me up, I was having a dream."

Lori wiped a tear from her eye and tried to give her sister a serious expression. "Sorry to say Leni, but it wasn't a dream."

A wide smile beamed across Leni's face and she turned right-side up. "We got a pony!?"

Lori scowled. "What? No! We're stuck in some crazy fairy-tale peasant village that we own for some reason."

Leni blinked, then her smile slowly turned into a frown. "I already know that Lori. What, did you think I'd forget or something." The ditzy blonde huffed and folded her arms, turning her head from her older sister in a tiff.

Lori was flabbergasted for a second then groaned, slapping her head. It was going to be one of those days, wasn't it?

"Whatever, what are you even doing in here?"

"I got lonely."

Lori sighed but couldn't help but smile at her sister's antics. The two of them had shared a room since they were children and though she would never admit it Lori knew it would be one of the biggest things she'd miss once she left the house. The oldest Loud sibling grunted and walked over to her armor piled up in the corner of the room.

Dressing was a long and tedious affair, Lori had no real idea how to correctly put on armor and she needed Leni to help, and then when she was done she had to help Leni put hers on, the whole process probably took over an hour and Lori wasn't sure whether she was more pissed off at the fact that there were no other clothes around for her to wear, or if there were she'd just have to put this on anyway.

After getting dressed the sisters descended the stairs and found themselves in the foyer where they took a left and entered the dining room. The place was exactly what Lori was expecting, the table was inordinately long with about thirty chairs on either side, though there was no spread laid out, the only food being two plates of meager fried eggs and some kind of mash. Sitting in front of these plates were none other than Lisa and Luna Loud, the two dour sisters both looked like they hadn't slept and were just picking at their food.

"You literally look like death," Lori gently chided, walking over to Luna and running her fingers through her short hair. The young rocker leaned into her older sister's hand and rubbed her eyes with a sigh.

"I feel like it dude. Couldn't get a wink last night, like I had a Fear of Sleep."

"Somniphobia," Leni chirped, helping herself to Luna's untouched breakfast and ignoring the shocked glances of her sisters.

"Er, yesh," Lisa muttered with her trademark lisp, straightening her glasses. "At any rate neither of us shlept much. I spent the whole night in library researching."

"And?" Lori asked.

Lisa sighed and looked down at her plate. "Nothing. The most I discovered was that our so-called Anceshtor and his family line had ruled theshe lands for many years, he himself having only died a decade ago; which really begs the queshtion of whether or not he could be called an Anceshtor-

"Get on with it!"

*Huff* "Well then, at any rate our Anceshtor was certainly not a nice man, sorry Leni, he engaged in many debaucheroush activities and was found of downright vile experiments; I can see that look on your face Lori, I may have made Luan glow in the dark but I never cut her head off and put it on a dog's body. Oh, I'm shorry, was that too graphic for you, becaushe that's the kind of man we're dealing with here."

The three older sisters flinched and glanced at each other. Both Lori and Luna had a feeling that this Ancestor guy wasn't exactly a nice man, he basically admitted to being so in the letter he left them, but from what Lisa was telling them it sounded like the guy was a grade-A psychopath. For Leni it was the final nail in the coffin, the girl always like to assume the best in people but from what she'd seen and heard so far it sounded like her Great Pop-Pop wasn't a nice guy after all, maybe it was a good thing she never met him.

"So," Leni hesitantly began, rubbing her arm sheepishly, "what do we do now?"

Lisa reached into her satchel and started rummaging around until she pulled out a piece of parchment. "Thish lisht our Caretaker so gracshiously provided hash left detailed instructions as to our goalsh."

"Wait, like, are you suggesting we just do whatever that creep says," Lori asked, genuinely confused.

"I'm with Lori on this one," Luna agreed. "The guy's obviously bonkers, he was talking about all sorts of crazy stuff last night. Zombies, fish-people, mutant pigs, and something about a monster, and he wants us to fight it? No way! What we need to do is find a way out of here."

"There ish none."

"What do you mean? Call the U.S. embassy or something, call the police, tell them we've been-

"There are no police, we are not in the United States, I doubt we are even in the same dimenshion, much less North America."

The three older girls stood stock still and absorbed Lisa's words. Lori groaned, feeling another migraine coming on. Her little sister was right, like always. As far as Lori could tell they weren't even on Earth anymore, honestly the way the plot was going it felt more like a videogame. And to beat a videogame you had too...

"Lisa's right," Lori suddenly snapped, banging her fists against the table.

"She is?"

"I am?"

"Yes. Look, I'm not even going to pretend I know what's going on here, and I'm not going to lie to you girls and say I'm not scared, because I am. The only clue we have is that this whole country is screwed up in a major way, and that it's our responsibility, I guess, to fix it. Seems to me that if we do, well I don't know but maybe we'll get to go back home."

Leni swallowed her breakfast and nodded. "Besides, we're all here, so that means the others are too, we can't leave them behind."

 _That's another thing_ , Lori thought to herself, _it was easier when I thought it'd just be me, Luna, and Leni, we're the oldest after all, but with Lisa here that must mean the kids are too_.

Lori snarled and stood up. "Then it's settled, we need to go out, if anything to find our sisters."

"And Lincoln."

"I said sisters didn't I? Oh, cool your jets Leni it was a joke, I wouldn't forget the twerp alright!"

Lisa snickered at her older sister's antis and inspected the note the Caretaker left for them. "If we're going out then we'll need shome directions from the townshfolk, all the Caretaker wrote down was to got to a place called "The Ruins" and defeat a... necromancer? Lovely."

"Wait, what? No, hold the phone here, you are literally not coming with us." Lori turned to her younger sister and glared down at her. "There are maniacs out there, Luna almost died, there is no way I'm taking you with us."

"Uh, yeah," Luna interjected, "about that whole dying thing, maybe I could sit today out and-

"Get over it you big baby, Leni brought you back."

If Lisa gave one single iota of a shit about Lori's argument she certainly didn't show it. "I undershtand your consherns, but if you expect me to be able to undershtand our posishion here I need fresh data, the library ishn't a shuitable environment," the young girl spat. Her lisp was seriously starting to piss Lori off, maybe she could do something about it.

Lisa jumped out of her chair and shuffled over to Lori. "I need to obsherve the phenomena that's taking place in those ruins, if there ish indeed a necromancer then my fears will prove valid, and we will indeed be in a dimenshion where the natural laws of logic and biology do not apply. Beshides, if what you relayed to me yesterday is true, then Leni ish capable of reviving any of us that might fall, heaven forbid."

Lori glanced to her younger sister and saw Leni had impaled two of her eggs with forks and were making them dance. She looked back at Lisa and pointed over her shoulder at Leni, eyebrows raised.

Lisa puffed a little and straightened her robe out. "While I do not claim to fully undershtand Leni's abilities, I do trust my older sister to keep me safe though."

Lori had no objection to that and she heard Leni squeal in delight behind her at Lisa's words. She glanced at Luna for a little support but the rocker girl looked just as lost as she did. It was a toss-up, on one hand she'd be putting her own baby sister in a dangerous situation, on the other hand Lisa was probably the smartest person on the planet and was easily more mature than she was. Lori didn't like this, not one bit, but she didn't really have a choice. Even if she forbid it Lisa would just sneak out anyway. Lori slowly dragged a hand down her face and groaned.

"Fine. You can come Lisa. But you stay behind us alright, and if anything happens to us you run, got it. You run and don't look back."

Lisa nodded and even reached out to pat her older sister on the knee. It was a probably meant to be a reassuring token of camaraderie, but mostly it was just awkward. Lori decided it was the thought that counted though and gave her little sister a smile.

"So then," Luna sighed, standing up. She looked at her sisters with a weary and resigned grin that did nothing to hide her apprehension. "Where do we start?"

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know where the Ruins are!" Lori screeched, red faced with irritation and fists clenched so tight on the counter top that the wood splintered.

"I think he means he doesn't know where they are Lori." Leni said absentmindedly, keenly observing all the new wonderful, scowling faces around her.

"She's right on the money," the bartender snorted, spiting onto the floor as he wiped the inside of a beer mug with a stained rag. He was a massive man, broad shouldered with arms as think as Lori's torso. He wore a green vest over a tattered white shirt and his ears were pierced with silver hoops. He was a somber looking fellow, with a heavy brow, a wide nose, and a magnificent mustache that dropped down to his jawline, his mouth was in a a perpetual frown and his face was covered in worry lines and bags. "You adventurous types are always barging into my tavern and asking how to get places, as if I got a fucking map in my head. I ain't never left the Hamlet, I haven't even left this bar since I was twelve, what makes you think I know how to get to some old ruins, I give people beer for Christ's sake.

Lori deflated a little at the chastisement, the bartender had a point. Why would a tavern owner know where some ancient ruins are? And the more she looked around the more Lori felt like they shouldn't be here. For one they were too young to drink, though she had a feeling if the townsfolk had no qualms about sending children to their deaths on the road they probably wouldn't care about a little drinking. There was also open gambling, in every corner men were throwing dice and cards were being tossed as money exchanged hands. Said money then usually entered the hands of some barely-clothed harlot, and she'd grab her John with the other and they'd abscond to the second floor.

 _Strong drink, a game of chance, and companionship. The rush of life._

And there he goes again. Every time she heard his voice echoing in her head it brought another migraine. Lori grit her teeth and growled under her breath, she didn't want to bring any attention to it but it was starting to get painful, she felt like she was losing her mind; and in hindsight she was hearing voices so she probably wasn't that far off. Lori briefly considered seeing a doctor but the only one in town was a maniac, also Lori didn't want her sisters to worry about her. There was also the other reason, the one Lori would never admit to anyone much less herself, that maybe she wasn't worried about her sisters being afraid for her, but of her.

"Er, you need a drink miss?"

Lori's eyes snapped open and she glanced around to see the barkeep, her sisters, and several patrons all staring at her. The teenage girl chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head.

"Sorry! Sorry about that. Just, uh, headaches. Real bad headaches."

"I got stuff for that."

"I don't want any beer."

"Whiskey?"

"No! I'm not even even 21!"

The barkeep spat on the floor again and put the mug on the counter. He squared his shoulders, put his hands on the counter, and looked Lori straight in her eyes.

"You might be the heir of that manor, you might own this town, you might even own me, but I don't appreciate that tone."

Lori could feel her little sisters crowd around behind her and even she quailed in her iron armor before this mountain of a man before her. He didn't sound angry, just irritated, and maybe a little disappointed and Lori decided she had maybe been a bit too aggressive and perhaps there was such a thing as biting of more than you can chew.

The man behind the bar huffed and straightened his back. "Now listen, you girls seem an alright sort, headstrong and tempestuous sure, but not too bad. At any rate, I doubt you're any worse than your Ancestor was, the blighter. You're even trying to fix his wrongs and help our town, you do that and we'll be square. But until then watch yourself." The man held his even glare with Lori before it softened just a smidgen and he let out a slow breath through his nose. "Go to the Abbey, they know all about the comings and goings of the countryside and they see to the complaints of the farmers. They'll point you on your way."

Lori nodded and even went as far as to give the man a soft smile. "Thank you, sir, we really appreciate the help. And for what it's worth, we are trying to fix this mess our, um, Ancestor made." Lori was about to turn around when she remembered something. "Oh, and if you see any other, well kids, running around, any who haven't meet before that is, could you send them to the manor. I've got a few more siblings running around, but, well, I lost them." Lori laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head.

The barkeep snorted but nodded. "Yeah, alright, I'll do that. Spread the word around too. Now then," the barkeep paused and bent over behind the counter, disappearing for a few seconds until he came back up with a heavy club in his hands, "you girls are gonna want to leg it. It's one o'clock, which means it's bar fight hour."

"You what mate?"

Lori and her sisters turned to see two large drunkards tackled each other over their table, cards and beer sent flying all around.

"Oi," another man called, pointing at the cards on the ground. "You cheatin' swine!" He reached over to punch the man adjacent to him as the two wrestlers backed into a crowd of people, all of whom started swinging their own fists. Soon enough a brawl had erupted among the patrons of the tavern, men were flinging fists and chugging mugs of ale, prostitutes swung brick-laden purses, urchins picked pockets in the confusion, and it was all around chaos. The barkeep straightened his back, spat on the floor, and walked out from behind the bar. With a bellow, he waded into the confusion, his club beating a swath around him as he tried to restore order to his pub. Or maybe he was just having a bit of fun, Lori couldn't tell. Either way the quartet had unanimously decided that they had overstayed their welcome and that it was probably time to hit that dusty trail, filing out of the dilapidated tavern and into the Hamlet proper, not that outside was much better mind you.

"The End is Nigh!"

Lori glanced over to see the same homeless man from yesterday was still screaming nonsense, sitting cross-legged on a street corner in a puddle of his own piss as he raved about the end of the world and tentacles for whatever reason. Lori briefly pondered why the things that tried to end the world always seemed to have tentacles, but then quickly decided she didn't care. As the girls meandered down the Hamlet road towards the center of the town Lori scanned the buildings. From what she could remember the Abbey was right next to the Sanitarium… aha! Lori and the girls marched for the Abbey, though the oldest Loud couldn't help but shoot a fearful glance at the hospital, grasping the handle of her mace tightly.

 _A little hope, however desperate, is never without worth._

The Abbey itself might have been the ruins they were searching for as far as Lori was concerned. Like the Sanitarium the Abbey was built on a hill of concrete blocks and required the use of stairs to reach the door, "door" being a strong word seeing as it was a splintered mass of decayed wood. The columns around the sides were crumbling, as was the tower on top of the church that Lori guessed a cross would be. The rest of the roof wasn't any better off, the rotten thing had a hole in it the size of a car. The ornate stained-glass windows that would no doubt have normally decorated the cathedral had been shattered, the empty frames boarded up with wooden planks. Lori and Luna shared a smirk, this place was even more ragged than the Sanitarium and the Tavern, it'd be a miracle if anyone was still there.

As the girls made their way through the door Lori saw the inside wasn't much better, the pews were splintered and the altar was cracked from years of neglect and insufficient funding. A stained and faded red carpet stretched from the entrance to the altar at the back of the church. The four girls walked inside the building, gingerly tiptoeing around rusted nails and broken glass; now that they were inside Lori could see the Abbey was a transept, cross-shaped. Luna turned around a circle and whistled loudly, the shrillness of it echoed throughout the condemned building disturbing a nest of bats enough to swarm out of the hole in the roof. Luna, Lori, and Lisa watched this happen with wide eyes and open mouths, then all turned slowly to each other. They held their gazes for about five seconds before Luna snorted and wild laughter pealed out from the three girls.

"Oh man, just look at this place!" Lori wheezed from laughter but mostly from the dust.

"I know right, it's-

"Beautiful."

Lori, Luna, and Lisa wheeled around to look at Leni, hearts in her eyes and hands clasped tightly as she slowly spun around and took in the entire dilapidated church with her roving eyes. Every splintered piece of wood, every cracked piece of stone, every rotten bible strewn about, and every shadowy, cobweb infested corner.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, grin so wide it stretched from ear-to-ear and eyes sparkling.

Leni wasn't stupid, she knew the church was run-down, broken in every sense of the word, and she most certainly understood the looks of confusion, vague sympathy, and bemusement from her sisters, but they didn't understand. They couldn't understand. This building was important, the foundation of it, the meaning behind it, its purpose resonated within Leni on a deep fundamental level the girl had never experienced before and it left her scared, exhilarated, and most of all with a sense of purpose and drive. Leni didn't quite know what to make of it or even what to do with it, but she was going to find out. Leni knew she wasn't smart, but she knew when things were important, and she knew when to get serious. And this was serious, like when she had to save Luna out on that road.

"It is beautiful, isn't it? Though I think you'd find the garden in the cloister to be more to your liking, sister."

The girls all turned to the altar and saw that a man had materialized on the stadium. Like all the inhabitants of the Hamlet he was a dour, foreboding figure, eyes covered by shadow and creases all along his long face that spoke of a lifetime of woe and tragedy, mouth set in a deep frown. He was bald on top, stringy blonde hair coming down from the sides, like a friar, and a goatee. He wore the robes of a pastor, not white but faded burgundy. He wore a long golden chain around his neck, it ended not in a cross but a circle with four half-crosses coming out of it, this same symbol was printed on the cover of the large tome in his hands.

"Oh yes, the place could do with some cleaning up, perhaps with a donation..."

Luna rolled her eyes and snorted. "Yeah, sure, we'll get right on that."

Lori shushed her and was about to walk forward and greet the man when Leni surprised everyone by brushing her older sister aside and striding down the aisle and walking towards the pastor. Leni stopped and studied the man before her for a bit, cocking her head and knitting her brows together in deep thought.

"You called me sister just now, but I only have one brother and he's eleven."

The man brought a hand up to his mouth and politely chuckled behind his palm, it was the first real smile any of the girls had seen from a single peasant in the Hamlet since they got there.

"Oh sister, you'll beg my pardon, but such humor has been sorely missed in these dark times. I merely meant your Vestal robes child, you are clearly a member of our convent, and it is a sign of Providence to see that such beauty and goodness could be descended from that cursed Ancestor of yours."

Leni genuinely smiled at that, she didn't understand what her sisters were so worried about, shuffling around noisily behind her, this man was nice.

"Thank you! Oh, I almost forgot, we're, like, totes looking for our little sisters and our brother, and we need to check out these old ruins, and this big guy at the Tavern who looked scary but was also nice told us to come here. I though you looked scary at first too, but now I can see you're also nice, so can you please tell us how to get there?"

The pastor nodded slowly and reached into his robes, producing a piece of parchment. He walked over to the edge of the platform and knelt to give Leni a large piece of paper that when folded open revealed… a map! Leni looked up at the softly smiling pastor and nodded ecstatically.

"Like, thanks so much for your help. I promise I'll totally help fix this place up for you," she said, ignoring the way her sisters hissed her name. Seriously, what was their problem? Leni was about to turn when the old man stopped her with a raised palm.

"Before you go, a gift," he said, and handed his bible out to her. Leni was shocked, not sure whether she should take it and looked him in the shadowy pits where eyes should be, pointing to herself. "Of course," he gently chided, pressing the book into her hands. "How's a Vestal to perform her holy duties without a holy text?"

Leni smiled and grasped the book tightly in her hands. "Thank you, sir. Oh! Here, now you get a present!" Leni reached up into her headdress and pulled out her light blue sunglasses and handed them to the pastor who cupped them gently in his leathery palms. "They're my favorite pair, from Paris and everything."

The pastor nodded with grave reverence. "A holy relic, a most generous gift. Thank you, sister, it will be treasured for generations to come." The man staggered to his feet with a groan and gave a short bow, Leni laughed a little and copied his movements before spinning on her heels and walking back to her sisters. She was about to tell them that they were silly for being so suspicious earlier when Lori reached around and put her palm flat against Leni's back, roughly guiding her forward where Luna wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided her away.

"Thank you for your help, sir," Lori said with obviously fake enthusiasm through tightly grit teeth and an overly wide smile. "We'll be sure to help fix this place up when we, uh, have the funds."

The pastor nodded politely and simply smiled. "It has been a pleasure, do come back soon. And may The Light guide your way."

"Uh, yeah," Lori called out, her back already turned and heading for the exit. "Yours too, I guess."

Leni was flabbergasted, that man had just helped them why were her sisters acting so rude? She had half a mind to turn around and tell Lori to march right back up to that man and apologize when Luna jostled her and looked her in the eye.

"Hey, look Leni, don't come back here without one of us, okay? That guy might seem nice, they always do, but before you know it he's filling your head with lies and ideas like what to do or who's going to hell and all that. You're a good girl Leni, and I know you can tell the difference between right and wrong, but well... the last thing any of us want is for you to get mixed up in some bad business, understand?"

Luna gave a little grin and slowly reached for the book the pastor had given Leni but stopped when she saw the outright livid glare her older sister was giving her. Leni was normally sweet but she did have a bit of a temper that could flare up at the most nonsensical of times for a myriad of reasons, but they never lasted long and Leni had never glared at her before with such hostility. Leni sneered at her little sister and roughly shoved her aside when they left the church, she pulled out HER map as she stomped ahead of the group, and she ignored the shocked gasps and looks of her family behind her.

Oh, Leni understood alright. Poor Leni, always too trusting. Poor Leni, always needs her sisters to look out for her, tell her what to do. Poor Leni, too stupid to understand or make her own decisions. Oh, Leni understood exactly what Luna was talking about, though what she couldn't understand was why, tears running down her cheeks. Leni huffed and angrily wiped her eyes, glaring ahead as the peasants parted in her wake. Why couldn't Luna see that this was important to her, that Leni was doing this for her.

After all, didn't Leni pray for her baby sister to come back to her on that forgotten road?

* * *

In the darkness something scrounged, crawling on bleeding hands and leather-clad knees something whined and mewled to itself in the high-pitched voice of child. In the dark, something sniffled and cried out in panic for help, it started out weak and hoarse but its shaky voice quickly grew into a shriek, a caterwaul for someone, anyone, to find it. The high-pitched voice continued in this fashion for a minute or two before it went ragged and the small shape huddled in the dark began violently coughing, curling into a ball she hacked and cried for older sisters and one brother who were nowhere in sight.

Lola Loud was alone in the dark.

The miniature fashionista bawled until she had no tears left and began crawling again in earnest. Desperation drove her into a frenzy and she stood on quivering legs and tried to run forward. To her credit she made it a good yard or two before face planting onto the cobblestone floor. Lola's muffled scream echoed through the corridors as she howled into her hands, there were no tears left but her eyes blurred and her head swam. After another few minutes, the pain became a dull throb and she moved her hands away, she could feel the dampness running down her chin her nose was bleeding. She gingerly touched the tip of her nose and immediately flinched as an aching stab shot through her head. Lola Loud just sat there, stewing in her fear and pain and hoping this was all just a bad dream. Yes, that was it, this was just a bad dream, and soon she'd wake up and she'd cry and her big brother would come in, like he always did. Lincoln would sit on her bed and pat her head, she'd snuggle up next to him and he'd listen to her ramble about her nightmare and he'd nod and tell her there was nothing to be afraid of, he was there to protect her. Then he'd give her little a nose to kiss before tucking her, and then he'd stay there until she fell back asleep, because he promised he'd protect her. Lola was out of tears to cry, but her little body shook so violently and she whimpered so pitifully that it didn't really matter either way. Big brother wasn't here now, Lincoln wouldn't be able to chase the monsters away, and this wasn't a dream.

Something echoed in the darkness.

Lola Loud winced and went still, the only sound the crescendo of her breathing.

Something rattled in the darkness.

Lola Loud shot to her unsteady feet. She needed to get away. The sound was coming from everywhere. She needed to get away. Wherever she was it was like a cave, sound echoed and traveled in strange ways through the stone-walled labyrinthian tunnels and one could never pinpoint the direction from which they emanated. Lola's breath came in shaky gasps and she started inching her way backwards.

Something moaned in the darkness.

Lola screamed and shot off like a dart into the black, the sound of metal scrapping against stone and the rattling of bones hot on her heels.

* * *

"I think we're here."

"Oh, really? What tipped you off Luna, the abandoned ruins?"

"Eh, feck you too Lori," Luna snapped at her sister's snide quip.

The older Loud gave no shits and just snickered as she brushed past her younger sibling, rolling her shoulders and tightening her grip on the traveling pack she had slung over her back. As the quartet was leaving the Hamlet they ran into the Caretaker who told them in no uncertain terms that if they thought they could just go running around without supplies they were idiots. Luckily, he had some for sale and the girls stocked up on medical supplies, food, and torches at the earnest behest of the Caretaker.

 _The cost of preparedness – measured now in gold, later in blood._

 _Yeah, whatever Great Pop-Pop_ , Lori thought to herself, trying her hardest to ignore the depressed disembodied voice of her dead ancestor; she also tried to avoid thinking about it because she wasn't yet ready to admit to herself that she was slowly going insane.

Lori shook her head and marched forward through the scattered walls of cobblestone and stained marble pillars, vines and plant life had reclaimed much of the surface area and animals like hares and foxes scattered at her intrusion. Lori looked down to see Lisa scuttle her way through her open legs and over to some of the ruins.

"Fashinating architecture, Victorian Gothic style of I'm not mishtaken, and I'm not. Look, gargoyles, and over there some statues. Thish musht have once been a grand place, even larger than the manshion in which we currently reshide. No, thish was a castle, but it seems to have sunk into the earth, collapsed by seishmic activity perhaps? I could spend months here studying the landscape-

"Too bad you won't have the time," Lori plainly stated, grabbing her baby sister by the head and lifting her so she could look her in the eyes. "We need to get inside and scout it out, but that's it okay, I don't want you running off because you saw something cool, got it," Lori snapped, and punctuated her stance by giving Lisa a little shake. The second youngest Loud affirmed that she did in fact comprehend by gulping and giving a little nod. Lori snorted and slung her little sister over her other shoulder, she wasn't quite sure when she felt as strong as she did or why it was happening but she chalked it up to the same logic (or lack thereof) that brought them here to begin with. Little sister secured Lori turned to her other siblings and gave them her signature 'shut-up-I'm-talking' glare.

"That goes double for all of you, no heroics in there, I just want to scope it out and see what we're dealing with. We scout the place out then we leave, got it?"

Her little sisters all gave a myriad of murmurs that Lori was forced to assume meant yes. She sighed and turned on her heels, glaring to the open gate in front of her, a wide opening more akin to a cave entrance than a castle. Lori took a deep breath, held it, then let it out slowly through her nose. She marched forward into the darkness and her sisters followed her into the gloom.

This little venture lasted approximately thirty seconds before the girls all realized the unfortunate truth that there was no light underground and they should've probably lit a torch before walking into what amounted to little more than a cave. Hindsight is 20/20 though and after walking back towards the exit and another ten minutes of arguing and trying to start a fire the torch was lit and the adventure was continued.

 _Pace out the halls of your lineage, once familiar, now foreign._

Crossing the threshold once again into the darkness Lori kept her head focused straight ahead, fists clenched tightly around the handles of her mace and shield, creeping slowly with eyes wide as she held the torch aloft and peered into the darkened corridors ahead and around them. Her trepidation was not unwarranted, though the torch was a boon the halls were still dark and the desiccated carcass of this once great palace was built like a labyrinth. Lori pressed on when a gloved hand grabbed her shoulder and turned to see Luna at her side, eyes wide and a finger to her lips. Lori slowly knelt to the ground and Lisa slid off her shoulder and onto the ground, shambling behind Leni who placed herself in front of her baby sister. Nobody made a sound, they stood completely still and just listened. The silence was oppressive, comingled with the darkness to induce anxiety and stress on the oldest Loud, and terror in the younger ones. Lori heard nothing and was about to chastise Luna when the sound of footsteps followed by an odd rattling sound, more like a clacking, cut her off. The girls flinched at the noise and none of them moved for a few seconds until Lori gulped, stood straight, and marched forward, the light of her torch illuminating the outline of a rotting door-frame. Lori looked back at her sisters who all nodded at her, she took a deep breath then kicked open the door-

-and let out a strangled gasp.

The dead were walking.

The dead were standing and they were walking. Two half-rotted corpses, skeletons with strips of muscle and flesh hanging from their bones, tied together by ropes of tendons, the gleaming white of their skulls shining out in the torchlight as they turned their eyeless sockets and empty grins towards the intruder. The fiends wore no armor, mere straps of leather breeches were all that remained of their burial shrouds, in their fleshless talons they clutched heavy clubs. Lori gaped like a fish and took several steps back, her mind desperately trying to process what she was seeing. The dead needed no such confirmation, as one they lurched forward towards the intruder, mouths opened in chilling moans and clubs held high.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

Luna's scream brought Lori to her sense and she held up her shield to block the descent of the first club, thankfully the Bones were standing in the door frame now so the first to reach her was blocking the seconds from attacking as well. Unfortunately, the dead were not seemingly capable of such advanced notions as tactics and the second shoved his comrade forward into Lori, sending the two of them sprawling to the ground. The impact on the cobblestone made her vision swim, the explosion of Luna's revolver made her fucking ears ring, though that was nothing compared to the headache of the second skeleton whose skull exploded into fragments. Lori shot to her feet as the second Bone Rabble slowly staggered upwards and she lunged forward to slam her mace downwards into this one's head, separating it from the torso entirely and smashing it onto the floor below.

 _Begone fiend!_

Lori's breath was ragged from fear and adrenaline, that strangely intoxicating combination she felt yesterday under the same circumstances that made her muscles light and brought a sick smile to her face. She could lie to the others about her fears, about the voices, but she couldn't lie to herself, there was no denying here.

She was having fun.

Luna's quivering voice brought Lori back. "W-what the hell was that Lori!?"

The older sister turned to her younger one and regarded her shivering body, the tightness of her down-turned mouth, the tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. Lori wrapped her little sister up in a hug and squeezed her tight as Luna gasped and sobbed into her shoulder.

"I-I thought… it was going to hit you. I saw you hit the ground…and…and-

Lori shushed her sister and squeezed her again. She held Luna out and gave her as best a smile as she could manage.

"I'm alright Luna, we're all okay. Good shooting there, I'm impressed."

Luna chuckled and wiped her eyes before flashing Lori a grin. "Another One Bites the Dust, eh luv?"

Lori guffawed despite herself and lightly cuffed her little sister upside the back of her head. She felt something brush against her leg and looked down to see Lisa rush by her and up to the pile of remains the skeleton eft behind. Lori lunged forward and grabbed lisa by the arm and dragged her back.

"And just what do you think you're doing? That thing could get back up once, who's to say it couldn't again."

"What doesh it look like I'm doing! I'm trying to analyshe thish speshimen. I mean, you jusht saw that, a cadaver capable of movement despite a clear lack of mushculature syshtems. I have to figure this out."

"We already know what the problem is," Leni chimed in, and all eyes were on her as she smiled and tapped the side of her head. "Necromancer, remember?"

Lori dropped Lisa (who wasted no time in scrambling back towards the carcass) and groaned. She hated it when Leni was right, first her magic powers now straight up sorcery. Why couldn't this weird dimension operate under normal rules instead of this stupid videogame fantasy crap? Lori cast a baleful glare towards the skeleton's fractured parts and sneered at it. She walked past the corpse, rapping her knuckles against Lisa's beaked mask for shits and giggles, and walked past the open doorway into the next room. Truth be told it wasn't all that impressive, what might have once been a dining hall was reduced to rubble, broken columns laid as piles of bricks and stone, the doors were cracked into splinters of decaying timber, while cobwebs big enough for grown man to get caught in stretched across the ceiling and built up in the corners. But what really caught Lori's eyes was a wooden chest in the middle of the room.

"Oh, hey," Leni said, walking into the room. Upon seeing the treasure chest Leni grinned and reached up into her veil, pulling out a bobby pin from her luxurious golden tresses. "Here, I totally got thi-

Lori raised her mace up and brought it down on the chest with a crunch as the wood splintered and exploded.

"-Or yeah, that, like, works too, I guess."

Lori ignored her dejected little sister and sifted through the remains of the chest, rummaging through the lumber until she found several large yellow gemstones on the ground. Lori gasped a little at the beautiful crystals and the way they seemed to glow in the dark, bringing them up and presenting them to her sisters who all gasped and crowded around them. Though they had already found gold the dull color of the metal compared little to the glamour of these gems.

 _Finding the stuff is only the first test, now it must be carried home_

Lisa straightened her glasses and nodded. "Citrine, a gold quartsh. In the pasht it was said to be the merchant's stone for its comparative rarity and revered beauty."

"I like it, it's yellow," Leni chirped, and all her sister scoffed a little and shook their heads at the silly outburst. "The way it glows in the dark reminds me of fading hope surrounded by adversity," she continued, eyes closed and a serene smile on her face, blissfully unaware of the looks of concern and horror on her sister's faces.

Nobody said anything after that, preferring to look anywhere but Leni's direction. Lisa coughed into her hand and pulled her mask back down over her face.

"Er, yesh, quite the astute observashion Leni. Citrine was also believed to have possesshed the shpiritual power to relieve stress, depreshion, and phobias."

Lori cleared her throat and handed the gemstones to Leni who cooed and put them in the small coin purse around her waist, tucking them in and giving the treasures a little pat for safety. With that taken care of the Lori regarded her sisters and though of their next steps.

"Alright girls, I can already tell things are going to get hairy down here. Now we just found out what we'll be dealing with, do you all think we should keep going or turn back around for the surface and regroup?"

The rest of the Loud crowd glanced at each other then back to their sister. Luna stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"I think we should keep going for a bit. We just started and none of us are hurt, I think we should go a little deeper and try to find out some other stuff, like maybe where this necromancer guy is and what he's up to."

The others agreed with her and Lori grunted, nodding her head and turning for one of the doors at the end of the dining room. After a quick word to tell her sisters to try and remember where they were going Lori marched forward with her girls hot on her heels. As they traversed the corridors between rooms they meet no resistance aside from a pile of rubble which gave way after a few swings from Lori's mace, though the incident did leave her sore and tired they pressed on until they reached another closed door. Lori hushed her sisters and pressed an ear against the door, the telltale clacking of bones on the other side confirmed her suspicions, but there was something else, something that made her pause and sent a shiver of pure dread up her spine.

Somebody was whispering on the other side.

Lori took a deep breath and gave a nod back to her sisters, one they all returned as they gripped their collective weapons tightly. A cough and tug on pants leg diverted Lori's attentions to her littlest sister and Lisa produced a strange flask from her robes.

"Thish elixir sheems to always be on my person, much like your own weapons. After conclusive testing I have determined it's effects to be beneficial on the human body, drashticaly increasing one's adrenal shystems." Noticing her older sister's blank stare Lisa groaned and smacked her head. "It makes you stronger," she muttered with a deadpan glare, and pulled off the cork. A green gas swirled up from the opening where it wavered in the air for a few seconds before going right up Lori's nose seemingly of its own volition.

Lori gasped a little as a tingle went right through her body, electrifying and reinvigorating her muscles. This felt great! Lori laughed a little and rolled her shoulders, a wide grin growing on her face. She felt like she could take on the world. Her grin went wider and her eyes seemed to gleam in the dark, Lori sniggered to herself and gripped her mace tightly.

She felt like she could go for a fight right about now.

With a guttural growl that made her sisters jump back Lori charged for the door and shoulder-checked it, sending it flying off its hinges in a shower of splinters as it practically exploded under the onslaught of her excitement. Lori leapt into the room and screamed in feral fury, banging her mace against her shield and generally making a spectacle of herself.

The two skeletons were not impressed, likely because of the magical process that reanimated them without such human concepts as fear and love, mindless drones that they were. Even in her drug-addled state Lori could tell these skeletons were a step up from the Bone Rabble she had just fought. These Bone Soldiers wore the barest scraps of the armor they were no doubt buried in, but instead of a club they carried a short sword. But there was something else too, hey way they moved and bobbed their heads, slowly fanning out to Lori's sides, they still had some modicum of their training from life in their skulls, and that's what really made them dangerous.

The third occupant of the room though, that was another story. She was most decidedly surprised at the sudden intrusion, but apprehension turned to enthusiasm as the woman giggled to herself. She cut a strange figure even amongst the dead, covering her body in blue robes with gold designs and a red sash connected to a golden buckle designed like an eye. Her face was covered by a golden mask designed like a skull, and connected to this mask was five spikes with a metal band connecting them like a semi-circle. It was a strange symbol, an evil one, just looking at it made Lori stressed. The women raised her hand out and Lori could see she was holding a short golden staff, the ugly thing tipped with a strange caged dome with what looked like smoke coming out of it.

The Cultist Acolyte (and Lori wasn't sure where she was getting these names but she wasn't about to question it now) pointed her staff at Lori and the Bones charged her. Lori swore and cut her losses, zoning in on the one to her right and charged to meet her foe. Shield met sword in a spectacular show of force, sending sparks flying up as metal collided and scraped against each other. The unnatural thing was fueled by arcane magic but Lori had muscle on her side, plus a little science courtesy of Lisa, and steadily she gained the upper hand. Just as she hoped the skeleton behind her hadn't the chance to make mincemeat of her exposed back, finding itself far too preoccupied with the holy wrath of a little sister protecting her sibling. Leni screamed in righteous fury as she battered the Bone Soldier with her cudgel, ribs cracked and sternum shattered under her onslaught and when the soldier slashed at her with its sword she expertly ducked under its swing and shoved forward with all her might. Caught unaware, and in the spine, the Bone Soldier fell backwards and collapsed, moaning in its haggard voice before its skull was obliterated under the mighty swing of Leni's weapon.

Having dispatched this enemy Leni noticed her sister gaining the upper hand against her own enemy when the strange woman raised her staff at Lori! Leni called out to her sister but was too late as a cloud of smog rushed out from the staff and snaked its way forward, enveloping Lori who immediately stopped pressing her advantage. In a show of strength Lori used her shield to shove the Bone Soldier backwards then began to swing her mace around wildly, screaming and cursing about something in her head, telling it to get out, that something hurt. Leni immediately rushed to her sister's aid and did the only thing she could think of, she pulled her in for a hug, holding her tight despite the thrashing and trying to shush her. From the corner of her eye Leni saw a green bottle go sailing through the air where it collided with the Cultist's face, a green slime covered the woman's face and she let out a distorted scream, like something out if a horror movie.

"I'm not sure what this 'blight' is exshactly, but it sheems acidic in nature," Lisa stated, straightening her glasses and pulling out another green globe from her robes. "What I'd really like to know ish how I alwaysh sheem to have more."

"Like how I never run out of ammo? Don't question it dude," Luna called out striding into the room and pointing her gun at the remaining Bone Soldier. The zombie hissed and strode forward only to receive a ball of lead in its legs for its trouble. The bone splintered and the skeleton collapsed, though it still crawled forward swinging its sword haphazardly from its position on the floor. Lisa reared her little arm back and let fly another globe of blight, it hit its mark and Lisa was rewarded with a sizzle and moan from the undead. The same blight that seemed to eat through the armor and flesh of the Cultist made short work of the wounded skeleton, dissolving the bones and reducing it to bubbling sludge. Lisa noted the rapidity of the solution and made a mental note not to experiment on it, some things were just too volatile.

"Good one little dude," Luna cried, giving her little sister a thumb up. Lisa blushed behind her mask and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Oh! Well, thank you shibling. I have to admit it was a rather – OH GOD LUNA LOOK OUT!"

Luna spun on her heel and swung her sword, the clang of metal on metal filled the room as her sword clashed with the staff of the Cultist Acolyte. Even though the woman burned she did not seem slowed down in the slightest, if anything the pain invigorated her as she screamed and brought her staff to blows again and again. Luna was fast but she was inexperienced, the Cultist got the better of the rocker and brought the staff in for a blow to the side. Luna grunted in pain as the wind was knocked out of her and the woman cackled, her celebration was short-lived as it turned out. Luna screamed and swung her sword around, cleaving the Cultist's stomach and spilling her entrails. The Acolyte howled and tried to stuff her entrails back into her stomach when the acid eating its way through her face spilled onto the exposed guts, eating away at them with a wretched slurping sound. The Acolyte gurgled and went stiff, then she fell to the ground and twitched once, twice, then no more.

 _The slow death – unforeseen, unforgiving._

Luna blinked and shook her head, warily she looked around the room and peered into the darkness.

"Uh, did anyone else hear that?"

"Not now Luna, something is wrong with our sibling," Lisa called, hurrying over to where Leni was hunched over a quivering Lori. Luna cursed and joined her sisters, as she approached she saw Leni had opened that weird bible thing that creepy old pastor had given her and was reading it aloud as she whispered in… was that Latin? Since when did Leni know Latin!?

Leni continued to murmur in the forgotten language, truth be told she didn't really know what she was saying but she knew she had to help her sister and it felt like the right thing to do, like when she prayed for Luna back on that highway. And it seemed to be working, Lori's struggles slowly ceased and she strangled out a gasp and took in deep lungfuls of air. Leni let her older sister breath, patting her back gently and cooing into her ear until the older sister got her footing and she helped her to her feet.

Lori hacked a little and shivered. What had just happened was easily one of the worst experiences of her entire life. When that smog overtook her it felt like the rest of the world just faded away, leaving nothing but a cold, dark expanse all around her. She felt trapped, alone, scared, and that was before the voice spoke to her. It wasn't her Ancestor, it was nothing like him, where was dour and foreboding this was merciless, cruel in every sense of the word. It spoke in words she didn't understand but she could feel the meaning behind them and it was hate. This thing hated her, it hated everything, and if it ever got the chance to act on that hate it would…

Lori took another deep breath and let it out leisurely. Gotta keep it together. Can't let them see you like this. She looked at her sisters and coughed out a nervous chuckle but the tension was so thick you could cut it with Luna's sword.

Luna walked forward and patted her older sister on the shoulder. "Should we go back Lori," she asked, nodding towards the open doorway they came in from. "Get back up, give you a rest, then we can come back down." Lori thought about it for a moment, but ultimately declined.

"Nah, we should keep going, just a little farther, I want to see what else is down here. If one of us gets really hurt we'll turn back, okay?"

Luna gave a small smile and nodded but Lori could tell her little sister was anxious and scared. Hell, she was too, but she had a feeling they needed to keep going. Call her crazy, but Lori had a feeling something was down here, something they really needed.

Lori smiled in earnest this time and grabbed her sister's chin to tilt her face up a bit.

"Trust me Luna, nothing's going to happen, we'll all be fine."

* * *

"Hey, Lori? You ever get sick of being wrong?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP LUNA!"

Luna snorted and swung her sword around in a wide arc, catching the Bone Rabble in the neck and shattering the spine, sending the head to the floor as the rest of the carcass collapsed. Zombies they were technically not, but going for the head seemed to work and Luna was grateful they weren't putting themselves back together and getting back up. A flash of movement to her left cut off her train of thought and Luna jerked back and fraction too late. The Bone Soldier's sword missed her neck but the point grazed her shoulder, a crimson splash jettisoned through the air to the backdrop of Luna's scream and she stumbled further back as the Bone swung again through empty air. The young rocker leaned forward and slashed at the skeleton, her sword cut through the rotten ribbons of flesh and splintered three ribs but otherwise the creature was unperturbed. Sensing an opening the Bone Soldier took two steps towards the wounded teen and raised its sword up, though its bravado was cut short by a howl of fury and the deafening crunch of a cudgel cracking its head open. Leni Loud's wrath was beautiful and terrible to behold, bludgeoning a swath of destruction around her as she swung her cudgel in wide arcs around her. Where it collided bone crunched under the temper of her blows and the moaning of the skeletons sounded less like death walking and more like the pitiful mewling of the wounded.

Luna groaned and backed up into a pillar, the cool stone holding her up as she rested and checked her shoulder. The wound wasn't deep, the shoulder had been cut about half an inch deep, the muscle was torn from the rusted sword but the bone was untouched. She was obviously bleeding but it wasn't a lot, and Luna was suddenly reminded of Lori's plight from yesterday. The poor girl had been bashed in the chest by a flail and was bleeding for several hours, and Luna was honestly worried her older sister was going to bleed to death before they reached the Hamlet, but no matter how much she complained, or bled, Lori never did bleed to death, she didn't even seem to be all that much hurt. Luna grunted and rolled her injured shoulder, yeah it stung but honestly, she could see what Lori was talking about. She was bleeding but it seemed almost cosmetic, she wasn't especially light headed or really in danger of dying it looked like, just sore and hurt.

Luna grunted and considered the battle. The Bones, well they didn't so much ambush them as they simply milled about in the adjacent rooms and rushed out into the hallway when they…heard? Felt them? They didn't have eyes, no ears for that matter. Luna hmmmed and cocked her gun, pointing the revolver at the rushing Bone Rabble and popping it in the head, exploding the skull in a shower of bone and rotting gray matter as the revenant fell back and landed with a thud. Deciding that maybe now wasn't the best time to ponder and started the lengthy process of reloading her pistol.

With Luna distracted the rest of the Loud sisters continued to fight in earnest. Leni Loud continued her rampage, her beautiful face twisted into a vicious snarl, looking all the world like the visage of a wrathful fury as she wreaked her terrible vengeance on the walking dead that so mistakenly roused her ire. It was pretty fucking bad ass really, and judging by the slight glaze in Leni's eyes Luna assumed she was being empowered by Lisa's weird smelling salts.

Lisa!

Luna gagged and her eyes scanned the battlefield for her little sister. It didn't take too long; the little genius was heeding her older sister's words well and was currently hiding behind the impenetrable shield of Lori. The little girl was holding up well, throwing her odd potions of "blight" at the approaching Bones. The acidic substance ate through armor and bones, sizzling upon contact and melting them away as they fell to the ground and shattered on the cobblestone. Those that didn't and still meandered forward were soon felled by Lori's mace. The oldest Loud's face was set into a tight grimace as she swung he spiked weapon around her, the decrepit armor the Bone Rabble wore crumpled easily enough under the sheer force of her blows and their clubs bounced harmlessly off her shield. The only trouble she seemed to have was facing a Bone Soldier, Lori's heavy armor gave her excellent protection, evidenced by the way the rusted sword shattered when it struck the pauldron on her shoulder, but it did severely slow her down, again, evidenced by the way the skeleton capered around the swing of her mace. Weaponless it might be but the skeleton was far from harmless, it swung its fleshless talons right at Lori's face, the bone raking against her face as she screamed and brought her hands up.

Luna was already half-way to Lori's side when Lisa surprised them both by reaching a gloved hand into one of the purses by her side and pulling out a clenched fist. Lisa took two steps towards the skeleton, its fists raised up, Luna and Lori screamed at her to get back. Lisa reared her hand back, wound her arm up, and threw an odd green dust right at the skeleton's face. A hellish scream emanated from the skeleton, how seeing as it had no lungs Luna didn't know, as it fell back. The green dust had the same effect the slime did, though it wasn't as potent it seemed. Slowly, portions of the skull dissolved away and the lower jaw fell from the face and clattered to the floor. The skeleton moaned again and reached out only for its un-life to be quickly extinguished by another swing from Lori's mace, this time colliding with its neck as the bone was crushed and the collapsing head was sent sailing into the darkness beyond the torchlight. Lori let out a guttural war cry and Luna flinched at the noise, if she didn't know any better she'd think Lori was enjoying herself. Luna spared a glance to Leni, the girl was laughing as she crushed the skull of another skeleton beneath her boots.

She didn't know any better.

Luna groaned and rubbed her shoulder as Lori grabbed up Lisa in a crushing hug, shaking her and alternatively thanking and admonishing her for getting involved like that. Lisa pulled out another vial from her robes, this one filled with a reddish fluid that looked thick like medicine. The second-youngest Loud forced the potion to Lori's mouth and she drank, and before Luna's own eyes the claw marks that had shorn through Lori's cheek sealed themselves shut, the blood running down her face was literally sucked back up into the cuts as the flesh sewed itself together.

Luna wasn't happy about that. Her chest felt tight and something rose from the pit of her stomach and rushed up to her throat, it felt hot and sick and angry and Luna could feel her face set into a tight grimace as her bleeding shoulder throbbed in agony. She felt herself take several steps towards her sisters when a heavy hand grabbed her wounded shoulder, but instead of searing pain she felt only warmth, something alive and loving and not at all unfamiliar to her. Luna smiled and leaned into Leni's bosom, her older sister hummed and brought her in for a hug, whispering words in another language that Luna couldn't understand but she felt the intent clear enough and she giggled as the warmth spread from her shoulder to her very core, it felt like an embrace and Luna half-recalled memories of her mother holding her as a baby. The warmth slowly faded and Leni kissed Luna on the forehead, the younger girl scoffed a little but returned her sister's affection likewise and hugged her back. They stayed like this for a moment before rejoining their two siblings.

The girls stood together and regarded the carnage around them. Nearly a dozen skeletons had fallen between them, most of their ilk the typical rabble strung together with scraps of cloth and grasping clubs of tinder or broken statues for weapons, but about four of their number were the soldiers they had seen before, differentiated by the others by the scraps of actual armor and the rusted, notched swords they carried. Well-equipped in comparison to their compatriots they were by no means a match to armed adventurers, but numbers made them dangerous and as Luna could attest a lucky strike was all it took to turn the tide.

 _Seize this momentum – push on to the task's end._

Luna noticed Lori flinch and rub the side of her head and immediately felt guilty about earlier, her older sister had been through so much on their account and here she was acting jealous and petty. Luna reached out and rubbed Lori's head, the older girl snorted and took her hand off but gave it a reassuring squeeze anyway.

"I'm fine Luna, you good?"

Luna nodded and gave Lori a small smile. Assurances and words of comfort were passed around the group and the sisters discussed their next course of action.

"I think it's safe to say that we've scouted enough," Lori said, hands on her hips and eyes closed as she nodded sagely. "We'll head back up, go back to the manor, get some more supplies and make up a battle plan. Sound good girls?"

A chorus of agreements sounded off and Lori smiled. "Great, now all we have to do is…" Lori's smile and optimism vanished as she turned around and found herself looking at the business end of a long hallway with about ten doors on each side, each of them leading to their own rooms and halls.

"You don't remember how we got in, do you?"

Lori turned her head down to Lisa and snarled at her and the littlest Loud present decided that maybe now would be a good time to shut her trap.

"Of course, I remember, it's right in front of us. Besides, we're in a castle, it's not like we can get lost down here, how many rooms can there be?"

The answer to that, of course, would be a lot.

There's a lot of rooms Lori.

In fact, after the first thirty minutes of backtracking had passed, along with another skeleton encounter, and absolutely no recognizable sign or familiar room had been encountered Lori had begun to suspect that they weren't in any ordinary underground castle filled with the walking dead given a terrible facsimile of life and ancient cosmic horrors beyond the realm of human understanding.

...Okay, sure, when you say it like that of course it sounds stupid to think you could just walk out but Lori didn't know that at first, shut up she's new to this.

 _Survival is a tenuous proposition in this sprawling tomb._

You're not helping.

"Well, tell me what to do then."

Lori blinked and turned her head to see Luna was looking at her, concern in her eyes. Shit, she said that out loud didn't she?

Lori's smile was anything but reassuring, jagged and haggard and showing far too many teeth as it stretched from ear to ear.

"I, er... wasn't talking to you. Don't worry about it."

Luna reared back a little and looked at her sister, confusion clear on her face as she tried to process what Lori just told her. She didn't get a chance to question it though as Lori spurred onward ahead of the group. Luna didn't see the way Lori's smile twisted into a grimace, but she did hear the way she whispered stupid, stupid to herself a few times and she was worried, but she decided to put it out of her head for now.

But she'd be keeping an eye on her.

* * *

The frantic scrambling of skin and cloth on hard cobblestone echoed through the forgotten corridors and decrepit hallways. Forgotten, but not abandoned, though the current occupants were anything but lively however animated they appeared to be. Lola Loud's ragged panting and shallow breaths rang in her ears as she desperately clawed and stumbled her way through the darkness, the dim light of fading torches scattered throughout the dungeon bequeathed brief respites from the overpowering weight of the blackness around her, but the cost was so high she might've honestly preferred not seeing what was around her.

What was chasing her throughout the catacombs.

Rotting faces leering at her from out of the darkness, skeletal arms clutching jagged, rusted swords and axes, reeking bodies with strips of dried flesh hanging off the ribs, skinless claws that raked her skin and pulled at her hair as she ran by open doorways. And the moaning. Oh God the moaning.

Lola was out of tears by now, and at any rate she was far too terrified to cry. Scared into a state of perception she had never experienced before, wide-eyed and running on instinct as she ducked clutching nails, scrabbled around weapons and walking corpses, and fought tooth and nail when they caught her, always escaping just in time.

But for how long?

Time was running out. Her lungs already course from screaming and beleaguered gasping hadn't the energy to scream again for help. She had tried that already and nobody had come.

She was beginning to realize nobody would.

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

"This looks bad Lori, this looks really bad!"

"I know it looks bad! You think I can't see it? I can see it Luna! THERE'S A FUCKING HOLE IN HER LEG!"

"Don't cuss in front of Lisa," Leni groaned, half irritated and half in pain as she clutched her bleeding leg. Said child genius was currently in the thick of it, tiny hands clutching pitifully at her sister's wound as she applied a mixture of her healing draught and the medical supplies the girls had brought with them. As Lisa cleaned and dressed the wound for the required stiches Luna rubbed her arm and glanced to her feet and off to the side. Nearby laid an iron spike, still stained red as it rested where it was flung in Leni's struggle.

 _Mind that such missteps are the exception, and not the rule._

It had all happened so quickly, one second they were walking about and the next Leni was screaming and Lisa was screaming and there was blood and then she was screaming. Luna mumbled and drew her jacket tight around her. God, she was useless, guilt tore up her insides and a shiver ran up her spine. A heavy hand clasped her shoulder and she turned to see Lori looking at her, concern evident of on her face as she gazed evenly at her little sister.

"You alright Luna?"

Luna scoffed and gestured to Leni whimpering on the ground.

"Forget about me, what about Leni? I walked right over that trap and nothing happened but then Leni comes up behind me and-

"And nothing. You said it yourself, you didn't see it. None of us did. Now we know better, now we know to keep our eyes open for more of those booby-traps." Lori shook Luna a little and gave her a weary smile. "Don't beat yourself up about it, at least we brought those bandages, right?"

Luna chuckled a little at that but it was off, a little too quick, a little too high-pitched. Her eyes darted to her side and she clutched the hem of her jacket and brought it tight around her body.

"Heh, yeah-

{Approx. 15 minutes earlier}

"What on Earth am I looking at," Lori muttered, hand already on her forehead.

"A fountain," Leni chirped, not noticing the weary glare Lori threw her way as she marched right up to the glowing lawn ornament. And I don't mean glowing as in an ornately decorated piece of architecture, but glowing in the more nuanced, practical term.

It glowed.

A nice blue to be precise, like the water was neon or one of those radioactive looking sports drinks you see in a gas station, y'know the ones that are a cheap knockoff of Gatorade. Fakeorade.

At any rate, it didn't look healthy and that wasn't even getting to the question of what exactly a fountain was doing underground in the first-

"LENI SPIT THAT OUT!"

"Buh I'm thirshy," Leni warbled as she turned back to Lori, cheeks filled and mouth pursed in a frankly adorable pout.

"I don't care, it's probably bad for you. Remember when we went to New Mexico and mom told us not to drink the water, because it would make us sick? Same thing here, so spit it out."

Leni glared at her older sister, her mouth just faintly quivered.

"Leni, I will give you to the count of three," Lori growled, fists clenched at her sides and brow furrowed in righteous indignation. Her right hand went up, three fingers extended and they dropped as she counted down.

"One, two, two and a half, two and three quarters, Leni I swear to God-

Leni tilted her head back and Lori heard her swallow. Unfortunately for the wannabee fashionista this little display of teenage rebelliousness immediately bit her in the ass as she choked on the water and sputtered, her glowing cargo was discharged all over the stone floor as she coughed and hacked.

Lori sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, well, that's what you get. Now what did you learn."

Leni sniffled and wiped her eyes on the arm of her robe and looked at Lori with squinting eyes brimming with tears.

"It was delicious," she whined.

*Ahem* "Ash amushing ash this ish I musht inshist we shtop with the tomfoolery," Lisa huffed. Her little feet went pitter-patter as she scuttled up to the glowing fountain and without further ado produced an empty glass bottle from her robes and filled it with the the glowing water.

"How many bottles do you have in there?" Lori asked.

"Enough," Lisa simply stated, inspecting the glowing liquid carefully. After a minute of "research" she slowly looked up to Lori, her eyes wide and mouth in a small O-shape. Lori felt her throat hitch and her eyes flickered over to Leni who seemed to have picked up on the tone in the room and was sobering up. Lori's eyes snapped back to Lisa as she heard her little sister take a deep, shuddering breath.

"It's harmless."

Lori let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding in and gave an undignified snort, narrowing her eyes at her sniggering little sister but try as she might though she couldn't hide her own small smile. It wasn't often that Lisa joked and Lori was honestly happy for the brevity.

Lisa allowed herself this brief respite to indulge in her humor and wiped a stray tear from her eye. It felt good sometimes, to act like the general adolescent homo sapiens on occasion, she could at least admit that to herself. As stoic as she appeared even she required the basic human comforts of companionship and social interaction, jocularity chief among them.

"Yesh, yesh, comedy ish the spish of life, I supposh. At any rate, thish water ish not merely harmless, if anything it sheems to be beneficial, possesshing many of the shame medicinal qualities of my own elixshirs." Lisa took one look at Lori's face and huffed. "Pretty water makes booboos go bye-bye." She handed out the glass of holy water to Lori who begrudgingly accepted it with a withering glare at her little sister for that smart-assed comment just now.

"Where's Luna?"

Lori and Lisa both stared at each other for a few seconds before turning to face Leni who was kneeling in front of the Holy Fountain with her hands held up in prayer, but her eyes were wide and scanning with room with sudden alertness. Lori and Lisa glanced back at each other, back to Lori, scanned the room…

The sudden crack of a gunshot echoed through the ruins and through the ringing in her ears Lori could faintly hear a scream behind her.

"Oh shit," Lori muttered, and took off sprinting down the hallway. She didn't have to go far, down the hall three doors down to her left Lori heard the din of battle and barged into the room. Another scream echoed through Lori's skull and she drowned it out with a war cry of her own.

Lori was already mad, but when she saw her little sister backed up against a pillar, tears running down her red face and shaking from head to toe as those unholy, rotting fucks creeped up to her, her eyes went red and she gnashed her teeth. Her deranged entry put the two corpses to a stop and they turned to face the intruder.

Both were clearly of a higher pedigree than the rabble they had been contending themselves with up till now. One of them wore an iron cuirass and conquistadors helmet, and dull red Elizabethan clothing under, tattered and full of holes. A quiver of arrows was slung over its back and in its bony claws it clutched a large and all together methodically menacing crossbow.

Its companion was of similar stock, sturdy and solid it too wore an iron cuirass with metal boots and heavy gauntlets and a chainmail helmet covered its head and ran down its neck. While its comrade in arms appeared to be of the long-ranged persuasion this one was distinctly more personal in its methods of murder. In one hand, it clutched a notched and stained axe, rusted and worn from years of disuse it was an instrument of death nevertheless and the skeleton seemed as proficient with it in death as it was no doubt in life. In its other hand, it held a round wooden shield, the upper right corner looked chipped and Lori guessed that is where Luna's gunshot from earlier had struck.

The arbalest was closest to Lori and so, naturally, bore the brunt of her ire, a strategic move on Lori's part however unknowingly it was committed. The skeleton brought up the crossbow and aimed it at the teenaged girl in front of it when her mace lashed out and splintered not only the weapon but dashed its own arms to pieces as well. The skeleton seemed perturbed about this, or at least as perturbed as a skeleton can get, and looked down at the crippled stumps that were left. It looked up at Lori and its jaw hung down comically for a few seconds until its head was crushed on the return swing of her weapon.

Breathing raw and ragged Lori laughed and felt the energy, the thrill of it all run from her arms and down her spine. Her arms ached from the constant strain and exercise but it was a welcome pain, it gave her something to focus on as her vision went red and hazy. Her eyes locked with the empty sockets of the skull in front of her as the Bone Defender seemed to regard her. It seemed the higher up in chain of command they got the more these revenants retained of their skill, their soldier's instincts.

Good. Keep them coming. Lori needed the challenge.

Lori let out a cry and banged her mace against her shield and lunged forward. Merely a feint but it did the trick, however intelligent it seemed the creature was a slave to the impulses that reanimated it and so it was compelled to seek out the warmth of living flesh and dispose of it. The creature lurched forward just as Lori leapt back and she brought her mace down in an overhead swing. A fraction too late though as the skeleton brought its own shield up to brace the blow as it continued its charge and slammed into Lori. The tackle left her winded but not stunned and Lori brought her own shield around and returned the favor. The skeleton backed off at that and took a few steps back, regarding her silently as Lori took the chance to regain her breath. The skeleton gripped its axe tighter and marched towards the girl, hacking at her just as she brought up her shield. The onslaught continued, blows so powerful they rattled Lori's arms as the creature continued to stride forward, Lori chanced a glance behind her shoulder and saw that the zombie was trying to back her up into the wall.

Renewed vigor flowing through her veins Lori redoubled her efforts and ducked under the Bone Defender's arm as it brought its axe up for another swing. Lashing out with her left arm she caught the creature's side with her shield and sent it stumbling away. Now it was on the defense, its own rotted wooden shield proved little match for the ferocity of Lori's blows and her iron mace sent splinters flying with every strike. The two traded blows like this for what felt like forever but couldn't have been more than a minute, axe and mace singing through the air before they struck with dull thuds on iron and wood, the grunts and unearthly moans, the clanking of metal and clacking of bone. More than once Lori felt the axe cleave the air near her face, she had to put such things out of her mind though, the monster in front of her had no fear, no second thoughts. She swung her mace out and in a lucky strike managed to crush the hand that was holding the axe, sending the weapon flying. Lori let out a shout of triumph but her preemptive celebration was cut short by a shield to the face. Head ringing and nose bleeding Lori screamed and her leg shot up, armored boot toe connecting with a crack into the skeleton's pelvis. The bone splintered and the skeleton knelt, a dull groan somehow emanating from his open jaw which it turned up just in time to see Lori bring her shield down. The sharp edges of her heater shield caved through the skull, separating the lower jaw and severing the spine right at the shoulder blades.

 _Another abomination, cleansed from our lands!_

The skeleton fell apart and Lori took a deep breath, wiping the blood running down her nose she turned to the other side of the room. Luna stood there, looking all the world like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, kicking at the dust aimlessly, hand behind her back, and eyes cast down. Lori let out a deep breath somewhere in the back of her throat and marched right up to her little sister who desperately tried to make herself smaller when she felt the shadow of her oldest sister encompass her.

"I want an explanation," Lori stated, trying to keep her voice even and doing a terrible job at it.

Luna gulped and slowly nodded her head over to the rightmost corner of the room, still refusing to make eye contact and face flushed red.

Lori turned her head and absolutely steamed when she saw an open treasure chest tucked into the corner. Her face went scarlet and she grit her teeth, but she didn't yell, she stammered and groaned but she didn't yell. Instead she grabbed her teary-eyed little sister and pressed her close against her.

"Don't ever do that again." Lori grunted, the red haze in her eyes fading though her vision was still swimming from her own tears. "I'm not losing you again."

Luna murmured something and nodded her head, putting her own arms around Lori for a tight hug. This lasted for a few seconds until Lori seemed to have enough and disentangled herself from the embrace. She dusted herself off and gave Luna a glare then reached over and thumped the side of her head.

"Dumbass," Lori chastised, and turned to leave the room, giving Leni and Lisa who had been watching from the doorway a half-assed rant about how they were no help whatsoever. Luna wasn't really listening, her eyes focusing on the emptied treasure chest. It had seemed so inviting earlier, just a quick nip in and out and she'd be back with the group. Took a little longer than usual to pry open though, and when she saw what was inside... she didn't notice the skeleton's until they were on top of her. If Lori hadn't have come when she did-

Luna shivered and glanced over to her sisters, when she saw they were still arguing she slowly opened her jacket and peeked inside.

"Luna, hurry up! You stay where I can see you!"

Luna jumped a little and shuffled her jacket around as she quickly walked up to the group. Lori greeted her with another thump to the head but Leni rescued her with a hug, glaring at Lori as she carted her little sister off down the corridors.

Luna tried to relax into Leni's arms but she was on edge, always straightening out her jacket and pulling it close to her, her eyes rapidly shifting from the slight bulge in her coat to her sister as they walked into the darkness.

{Present}

-good thing we had those bandages, eh Lori?"

"Sure is, plus the literal holy water we got. Add Lisa's potions and Leni's light show and I think we'll be just fine. I'll need to buy some more of that medicine though, plus bandages for next time, can't be too careful."

Luna pulled her coat shut and tucked the hem into her pants. "Yeah, we'll definitely need more. Don't want anyone getting hurt."

Lori blinked and looked at her little sister. 15 years she's lived with Luna Loud, and though the young rocker would never know Lori knew her little sister like the back of her hand, she knew them all. Their interests, their habits, and most importantly when they were bullshitting her. Luna was easy, she acted tough and pretended nothing was wrong but she wouldn't look you in the eye, she'd lick her lips and nod too much, and most importantly she wouldn't slip into her accent. Lori didn't know what was going on exactly, but she had a hunch.

She was scared. Scared of getting hurt, scared of dying. She had been since the first incident with the bandits, and now all this shit with skeletons and necromancers and cultists, she had every right to be scared, for fuck's sake it wasn't like Lori wasn't.

Lori sighed and reached over to drag her little sister in for a side hug. "Hey, I get it, you're scared, it's okay. I'm scared too. I was scared when I first woke up, when I didn't know where you guys were, if you were safe, when I had to fight that bandit. When I thought I lost you." Lori sighed again and kissed Luna on the forehead. "I thought I lost you again then. I can't lose you, any of you. You're all I have. I love you girls, and I'm going to get you home if it's the last thing I do. So, cheer up, okay? Big sister is here."

Luna gave a light chuckle at that and looked up at her big sister. "I love you too Lori. I am scared, but I'll try and get better, for you luv." Lori smiled at that and turned to her other little sister, walking over to Leni and helping the injured girl up to her feet. Luna watched her go with a sad smile but didn't join her. Her smile slowly faded and her eyes shifted to each sister, when she was sure none of them were watching she opened her jacket up and risked a peek inside.

Bandages and stitches, medicinal herbs, healing draughts, a plethora of medical supplies all pilfered from the treasure chest earlier. Luna exhaled and tucked her coat back in. Lori was right, she was scared, she wasn't going to be ashamed of that, who wouldn't be in her situation? Getting shot wasn't fun, she saw her sisters brave wounds and shrug of injuries that would level a soldier, she saw the way Lori justified what she had to do. There was no need, Luna saw that now, there was only survival. Lori said she got it but none of them really knew what it was like, they hadn't been through what she had, hadn't felt it.

They didn't die.

Luna shivered and let out a shaky breath. Only she knew what was on the other side, only she knew how much it hurt, only she knew how cold and dark it really was. Luna breathed deep and steeled her gaze, jostling the contents of her jacket as she walked towards her sisters.

Let them think whatever they want, Luna Loud was never going to die again.

* * *

Lola Loud's haggard gasps reverberated in the gloom as she hugged the wall and cautiously made her way through the stone halls, eyes peering into the darkness and head darting around at every little sound.

How long had she been down here? How long had she been scrawling around in the black, jumping at every shadow, every sound, terrified out of her mind and sure she was going to die any second.

The dead were chasing her. That thought kept running through her head. The dead were chasing her, their rotten skin glistening in the barest specks of light and the sloshing of their rotten innards spilling out of their ribcages onto the floor following them. The worst was their groaning, the sound alone was going to give her nightmares.

Lola gave a nervous titter at that thought. Nightmares, heh, that was implying she was going to make it out of here. At the tender age of six-and-a-half Lola did not expect to suddenly become aware of her own mortality, certainly not in so violent a manner, yet here she was. Life's funny like that.

Lola's hand groped out into the darkness and latched onto something warm and hairy, the rat squeaked and squirmed in her grasp and Lola screamed, flinging her hand and sending the vermin careening into the opposite wall where it hit with a wet smack and slide down to the ground. Lola moaned and whimpered, shivering as she stared at the stain and the rat's unmoving body.

"I'm sorry," she sniveled, unsure who she was apologizing too but legitimately sorry nonetheless. She allowed herself a few seconds to recollect herself before forcing herself forward, she hadn't heard the skeletons for a while now and was beginning to hope she had lost them but she couldn't risk them finding her again. She had to keep moving, it was her only chance.

Lola crawled on the ground and for the first time in her life she was glad she wasn't wearing her usual pink dress. She couldn't see what outfit was she was wearing now and she was sure it was something she wouldn't normally be caught dead in, but whatever it was had leather pads on her knees and the thick gloves were also appreciated. There was also something sharp and metal dangling on her belt but she wasn't going to look at it because she had a feeling she knew what it was and if it was then Mom and Dad wouldn't want her to touch it and she didn't want to get in trouble.

Lola put such thoughts out of her mind and focused on the task at hand. She'd been wandering around in the dark for hours now, or at least it had to be hours, she wasn't sure but it felt like forever so it probably was. At any rate she was exhausted, her muscles ached and screamed out in abuse as sheer adrenaline and fear forced her onwards and she gasped out in pain, her legs on fire and pins-and-needles in her fingers, eyes aching from hours spent crying and nose itching from dust.

That she was thoroughly miserable is the motif meant to be recognized her.

Stumbling over her own two feet Lola turned a corner and squealed, closing her eyes shut as a sudden brightness overcame her sense. In reality, the dimming torchlight could hardly qualify as bright but to a little girl who had just spent the last two days underground it was positively incandescent. Slowly Lola's face laxed and she opened her eyes ever so slightly, soaking up the light she had been denied for so long and curling up under the torch hanging from the wall. How it got there was a question her young mind didn't even process, that it simply was there was more than sufficient for her and she took a few precious minutes to bask.

Then another rat skittered into view and she was back on her feet.

Lola shivered from cold and fear and glanced about the halls around her. The torchlight didn't extend very far but from she could glean there were no skeletons hanging about nearby, nor any normal people for that matter.

A thud rang out in the distance, followed by some muffled whispers, and Lola's head snapped to her left. There, just barely out of sight, the outline of a door faintly illuminated by yet more light leaking out from the sides and bottom of the cracked wood. Lola cautiously moved forward, staying on her toes and not making a sound. She hoped there were people on the other side, but Dad's words not to talk to strangers or trust them rang out in her mind and she was nervous, ready to run at the first sign.

Lola crept up the door and slowly pushed it, flinching as the ancient wood creaked and ready to run. There wasn't a sound on the other side, no words or whispers or any acknowledgement of the noise, much less an indication that there was anybody in the room. Lola scratched her head a little at that and narrowed her eyes, she was sure she heard somebody earlier, had she imagined it?

Caution gave way to curiosity and Lola pushed the door open far enough to peek her head inside the room. The warm glow of several candles placed about greeted her and Lola glanced around what looked to be a library. A very rundown library at that, books were strewn over the floor and rotten bookshelves, long-collapsed from age, lay tied together by cobwebs big enough for her to get caught in. Seeing nobody inside, Lola slowly crept into the room and peered in further. Something shuffled around in the far corner to the right and Lola ducked back out of the doorway where she stayed for several seconds before peeking back into the room. Whatever it was didn't seem to notice her, still rummaging about near one of the broken bookshelves all she saw was a broad, dark figure hunched over. Without even realizing it Lola left the safety of the doorway, creeping closer and closer to the figure, just trying to get a look. Somewhere in the back of her head Lola was aware and was screaming about what a stupid idea this was, that she needs to turn around, that she needs to run. There was still time, all the time in the world, she just had to see-

A loud slam broke Lola out of her reverie and Lola spun on her heels with a squeak. The door was closed, her only exit barred by heavy wood and a new figure. A woman, clad in a black robe with gold plating, a golden skull musk covered her face. The woman walked forward and smacked a scepter into her open palm, clicking her teeth and slowly shaking her head.

"Well now," the woman whispered, voice low and dry, "what do we have here?"

The something behind her shifted and Lola heard the scraping of sharp metal on stone.

Lola's scream echoed through the forgotten corridors of the Ruins.

* * *

Lori, Leni, Luna, and Lisa all sat around a little campfire, Lisa tending to her second oldest sister's wounds while Lori massaged her temples and Luna looked everywhere except at her sister, fidgeting in her seat and keeping her cloak wrapped tightly around her. Meanwhile Leni hummed to herself, wincing at her sister's treatment and face scrunched in obvious pain but trying her best not to acknowledge it; whether for her sister's sake or her own Lori couldn't say but she appreciated the effort all the same.

Now if only Luna could take a page from her book.

Lori groaned and massaged her temples, immediately feeling guilty. Luna had every right to be fidgety, scared, angry even, but goddamn it didn't make things easy. Lori took in a deep breath and wiped her eyes, she couldn't let it get to her. It was one thing for Luna, but she couldn't break, not her. She had to be the oldest, the strongest, had to protect them. Not that she really could, not from this. Lori wasn't broken, but she was cracked and she wasn't sure how long she could keep this up. Lori chuckled a little and spared a glance and smile for each little sister present, she already knew the answer to that thought.

As long as she was needed.

Leni mumbled something or other to herself and took her leg away from Lisa as soon as the little genius was finished dressing her wound.

"Like, thanks Lisa. I'm feeling better already," the fashionista lied through her clenched teeth as she gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

It wasn't of course but Lisa wasn't about to shoot Leni down after such an earnest display, that she might be genuinely concerned for her older sister's physical and mental health following such a traumatic event went without saying, or at least Lisa thought so. Truth be told (and it normally wouldn't if Lisa had anything to say about it) the second youngest Loud had always felt a certain connection with the least intellectual mind in the house surprisingly enough. Oh, they had their arguments, and yes Lisa would quickly grow irritated with Leni's antics, but nonetheless Lisa enjoyed her sisters company to an extent and she did love her. Recently though, Lisa had begun to feel something else for her older, dimwitted sibling, something almost protective, and in a strange way it did make sense, as the smartest was it not her responsibility to take care of her less "gifted" siblings? It was a curiosity to say the least, and Lisa decided that should she be fortunate enough to survive the little undertaking of theirs she resolved to take some time from her less pressing experiments to study this phenomenon a little more closely.

Leni sighed and rubbed the bandages on her legs. They really hurt, and Leni knew she said really lots of times but this time she meant it. In fact, she'd go as far as to say that this was the worst pain she'd ever felt in her life, and she's stubbed her toe before. But, better her than any of them Leni thought, and unlike most people who say that to feel better about their shitty situation Leni meant that. She hated to see other people get hurt, especially her sisters (and Lincoln!) if she could help it. That's not to say she went out looking for trouble, by all accounts she simply wished trouble would shove off and leave her and her siblings well enough alone. As the three other girls started talking to each other about the weird underground castle they were stuck in and how to get out with all the walking Halloween decorations trying to hurt them Leni picked at her bandages and mumbled to herself. Her leg was killing her and she hoped she could still walk on it. A lightbulb suddenly went off over her head and Leni reached into her habit and pulled out her special church book the nice priest gave her. The book that made all the ouchies better like mom's kisses when you were little and scared, it was like feeling safe and warm all over. Could she do it now? Probably, but Lisa had gone to all that trouble making her medicine and band-aids, she'd hate to see it all go to waste.

"You, uh, doing a little reading there Leni?"

Leni's eyes shot up from her book and over to Luna who was leaning on the edge of large slab of stone across from her on the other side of the campfire. Leni smiled and was about to reply when something happened. IT was a thought, just a little trifle really, but the way it stuck in her mind like a burr on a sweater and demanded her attention made her think. Luna's question in and of itself wasn't odd, but wasn't there something there? The way she said it, the overly sweet way her parents and teachers and doctors had always talked to her ever since she was small. She always liked it but now it seemed. . . fake. Leni's smile faded and her brow furrowed as she realized Luna talked to her like this back at the chapel, it was all sugar and spice but it wasn't nice, not one bit. It was the same voice people put on when they were tired of explaining things to her, when they assumed (sometimes incorrectly) that she didn't understand. Leni's face set into a scowl as she regarded her little sister who had now begun to fidget in her seat and frown herself.

"Does that surprise you?" Leni asked.

"Um. . . what?" Luna replied.

"That I can read. Did you think I couldn't?"

The conversation between Lori and Lisa hung suspended in the air as Leni's none-too-subtle accusation enforced a new reign of awkward silence over the campfire. The oldest and youngest of the group were gob smacked, Leni could have a bit of a temper but never had she said anything, well, so snide before. It was disconcerting, like going outside and seeing a bird swimming or a cow climbing a tree, the very fabric of what was considered acceptable had been strung up and left to its own devices and neither of them had any idea what to do. Luna herself was quickly growing beside herself, frazzled nerves and a guilty conscience ate away at her core and now this sudden attack from the sweetest of her sisters left her bewildered, vulnerable, and honestly quite sad. Normally Luna wasn't up for taking gruff from anyone but from Leni of all people? For heaven's sakes, her eyes were starting to tear up.

"Leni? C-c'mon luv, you gotta know I didn't mean it like tha-

A shrill scream the likes of which to put a banshee to shame echoed through the corridors and all sisters jumped out of their seats. For three seconds, the girls stood stock still before Lori's face went pale and she took off down the halls towards the sound.

Lori knew that scream, she's heard it so many times over the last 6 years, though never quite so scared. The closest she could come to was hearing her scream from a horror movie, though normally it was paired with another, near identical shriek. Not so this time.

The din of metal on stone echoed in the empty corridors and Lori homed in on the sound, if she even heard her other sisters behind her calling out for her to stop she didn't seem to care as she raced ahead. Beads of sweat ran down her brow and Lori's breath grew shallow and frantic as she shoulder-checked the wooden door that barred her way. The rotten wood gave way easily, perhaps a bit too easily for someone her size though Lori certainly didn't notice at the time, and time seemed to slow down.

It was horrific really, granted everything that had happened to them in the last 48 hours or so had been but seeing your baby sister backed into a corner with a large man looming over her, her small body cowering in a ball as he raised his hands up, the glint of something sharp and metal…

The scream that tore its way out of Lori's throat was less a howl of fury so much as it was the absence of everything civilized, it was fear and hate in equal measure, primal in its essence, a scrawling noise torn from the throat of an animal. Lori's vision went red and everything seemed to sound distant, almost like she was underwater, as she tore across the ruined library. The cultist acolyte that had the clear misfortune of standing between Lori and the cultist brawler harassing the little girl was slammed into with the equivalent force of a small rhinoceros and subsequently was sent sailing into the wall on the opposite end of the room where head met stone with a crack.

By all accounts, of the two cultists in that room, she would experience the better death.

The demolition of the cultist brawler, a massive slab of muscle in its own right and garbed in the same robes of his female counterpart but swapping the magic staff for a pair of golden clawed gauntlets, was meticulous in its slaughter. Due to height difference Lori slammed into the man squarely in his ribs, two of which immediately fractured under the pressure of her steel armor and another three were bruised. The skin around the area was also torn which might have hurt quite a bit had the brawler not more pressing concerns when Lori grappled him and slammed his head into the stone floor. From there Lori set about her gristly task, starting with the application of an iron boot to the man's skull no less than seven times. Reasonably assured he wasn't moving anywhere, Lori firmly placed her foot on the crook of his left shoulder, grabbed the arm, and didn't so much tug as she wrenched the arm out of its socket, the maneuver was then followed by a knee to the elbow. The sundering of flesh as bone tore free from ligaments and greeted the stale air of the catacombs in a shower of blood and torn muscle was a sound to behold.

 _Slowly, gently, this is how a life is taken._

This maneuver was repeated on the other arm as the man garbled out screams through his broken jaw. Like a surgeon Lori repeated herself another two times on the victim's legs, if she was even aware of what she was doing was another matter entirely for her face was a mask of barred teeth and tightly-knit brows. Appendages thoroughly mangled Lori turned her attention to the man's abdominal area. Lori knelt to the ground and hefted up her mace, momentarily abandoned in the earlier onslaught the weapon would now see some proper action. The first strike caved in an intact rib, the second completely shattered an already fractured one and drove the splintered fragments into the spleen, the third tore the skin of the belly in a burst of blood. Lori worked her craft slowly, methodically, all outside influence forgotten as she focused on the task at hand. By the eighteenth strike the once-imposing man had been neatly reducing to a mewling, quivering mass of meat. For a few scant seconds Lori observed her work dispassionately before dropping to her knees, one on each side of the man's head, and dug her fingers into his eyes. A shiver traveled up Lori's spine as the cultist gargled out a scream and a smile slowly scrawled across her face.

Then she began to squeeze.

Lori never considered herself an especially imposing physical specimen. For a typical 17-year-old girl she might have veered towards the tougher end of the spectrum but not by much. All in all, it could be said that Lori Loud possesses no greater capabilities of physical prowess than to be expected of someone of her age and gender.

Within one minute of continuous pressure the brawler's head cracked under the strain of her hands. It was like an egg really, it happened so fast Lori didn't even have time to notice or react until her hands were soaked in blood and grey matter as the jagged edges of crushed skull pierced the head and the fluids jettisoned out.

For a second Lori just sat on her knees and stared at the carcass in front of her. It was a disgusting thing, a wretched mass of broken bones and torn flesh, a sack of meat really. Lori's breath came in ragged gasps and her vison went hazy as something warm and wet crawled down her face. She stuck out her tongue and caught a droplet of liquid, giving it an experimental taste.

Salty.

Lori choked out something like a sob and a chuckle. She was going to be sick. She was already sick.

"Lori?"

The eldest Loud shook the tears streaming from her eyes as best as she could and slowly turned her head. She had to squint through the fog to see but she could just make out her sisters near the doorway, the crumpled heap of the cultist acolyte lying near the wall, a blood splatter roughly head high above her.

Lisa and Luna were huddled near each other, the third oldest Loud sister had pushed the little genius behind her leg and was holding something in her arms, it mewled and shivered in her grasp and Lori realized it was her baby sister, Lola, the one she heard screaming. How did she get over there? And why was Lisa crying?

Why was Luna looking at her like that?

Something moved and Lori shifted her eyes to see Leni slowly walking towards her, arms out-raised and palms upturned, like she was walking towards a crazy person, or an animal. Unlike Luna whose mouth was set into a tight grimace Leni was trying her best to smile and that just made it all so much worse because Leni shouldn't have to pretend to smile, she shouldn't have to pretend she was alright when she wasn't. She shouldn't be crying.

A shudder ran through Lori's body and it wouldn't stop and the shivers turned to tremors and everything was shaking and the world was crashing down on her and she was a million miles away and she couldn't feel Leni grab her and hold her tight and she couldn't hear her little sister whisper it wasn't her fault it wasn't her fault it wasn't her fault-

Something wet and hot came rushing up Lori's throat and her sick cascaded around her onto the floor and the meat and the smell was the worst, piss and shit and blood and sick and too much too much too much too much too much too much-

"We need to go Lori," Leni mewled and tugged on her sister's arm, trying to get her to her feet, trying to get her to run. Something cricked in the darkness and the moans once faint grew loud and rushed in and it would only be a matter of time before the dead things followed. The girls were too scared to run, too scared to go near Lori but they wouldn't leave their sister but nobody wanted to go near her. They needed to leave. They ALL needed to leave. Come on Lori we need you I know you're scared but we need you so get up GOD-FUCKING-DAMNIT GET UP NOW!

Lori swiveled her head up to Leni and her jaw dropped and Leni dimly realized she had said all that out loud. Lori swallowed and nodded her head and tried to get up to her feet, once, twice, three times she tried to stand but just couldn't seem to manage.

"I think," Lori began, chuckling to herself and shivering as the sounds in the dark grew louder. "I think I'm stuck. I...I can't get up. I think I'm-

Lori moaned and shook her head as she gazed down at the meat and sick.

"I'm broken."

Leni snorted and tugged on her sister's arm again. "Not yet you aren't. You remember when we were small and I didn't know any better and I broke a vase because I thought it'd make a pretty sound, and you took the blame for it Lori, you remember that? Mom and dad weren't too angry because the vase wasn't really all that broken, just cracked a little. You're the vase Lori, you're just cracked, and when we get back I'll get some glue and fix you up, because I don't even know how many times you've fixed me and you're my big sister and I love you and WE need you to get up right NOW!"

At that last shout Leni yanked Lori up to her feet, put Lori's right arm around her shoulder, and dragged the dazed teen out the doorway to her shocked siblings.

"We're leaving," Leni brusquely stated and all the girls turned on their heels and took off down the tunnels as the dead rushed into the library.

Turn off the light, and darkness rushes in to fill the void.

Lori shambled as best she could until terror found her feet and she shoved Lori off her and forward into the group, herding her little sisters through empty doorways and forgotten corridors, all the while shades of the dead lurched into view and barred their rotten teeth at the trespassers, grabbing at them from the shadows and snapping at their heels always and forever. How long they rushed through the ruins none could say, only that they ran until their legs were sore and their lungs were ragged with the stale air and the claustrophobia ate at their minds as the darkness enveloped them when the torches went out.

That was awful, hearing and feeling the wrongness of it all so close but out of sight, surrounding you, grabbing you, crushing you.

The ran for miles, they ran for years, and then Leni cried out to the Light and Lori remembered the preacher man and prayed for all the good it'd do her. And at first Lori thought the light was a trick of her mind, but as they neared it she could see it, feel it, smell it and it was real (or at least as real as she needed) and she pushed and shoved and kicked her panicked little ones to the light and they rushed like panicked little lambs into the sweet oblivion.

Fresh air greeted their lungs and the girls collapsed into little heaps as they tripped onto the grass and dirt and they cried and took deep, shuddering breaths of clean fresh air. A fresh torrent of nausea discharged from Lori's bowels and she cried out from the abuse of it all. Once finished she turned back to the ruins entrance and gaped silently.

From just beyond the gloom IT lurked and IT watched and IT was awful and IT was evil and IT hated and was hated and that made IT laugh because IT didn't care. Red as blood and claws and tentacles IT watched without a face and in that one second IT knew everything about her, IT had judged the entire weight of her existence and found her wanting.

IT was gone just as soon as she noticed it, melting back into the darkness and leaving Lori wondering if it even happened at all. Boots churning dirt and grass caught her attention and she turned to see Leni once again slowly approaching her. The second oldest Loud girl opened her mouth but Lori cut her off with an open palm.

"Stop. Not here. Not now. Lola?"

Leni nodded and pointed over to Luna who was holding the two youngest members of the group as they sat on the ground, both her and Lisa were trying to get a reaction out of Lola who simply held onto her older sister and shivered, making no sign if she felt the hugs and kisses and kind words her sisters gave her. Did she even realize she was safe?

Lori's body moved on its own accord and she walked over to the huddle, arms held wide to join the hug. Then Luna's head shot up and Lori stopped dead.

Her eyes, oh God her eyes. Wide and red and scared like a rabbit's, her lips trembling and legs kicking out as she scooted away from her oldest sister in pure abject terror. Lisa shouted out something intelligible and buried her face in the crook of Luna's neck. Something in Lori's chest cracked and everything went dull.

They were afraid of her.

The dim memories she had of the library fight played through her head. It was distant, like she wasn't doing it, more like she was watching it on a screen and it was awful. Lori didn't even know she was capable of something like the, she had killed people before (something she was still coming to terms with) but this wasn't just self-defense, this was torture plain and simple. And she smiled while doing it, she liked doing it.

Her sisters were afraid of her.

They had every right to be.

As the distraught teen began to suffer the early onset of an emotional breakdown Leni watched the scene unfold, unnoticed by everyone and beyond their sight, their reproach, and their understanding. Her fists clenched and jaw set she looked past her older sister and down at Luna and she seethed.

The neighing of a horse cut all the girls out of their respective reveries and each of them scrambled about for their weapons and turned to see a carriage being pulled by some brutish looking horses sitting on the side of the road by the ruins. And sitting on the coach was the unmistakable haggard wretch they had all come to now and loathe.

"Oi," the Caretaker called out, his grey skin pulled so tight it looked fit to tear as he smiled at the girls. "Looks to me like you girls could use a lift. That's up to you of course. Personally, I think the ugly one could do with a bit more exercise."

 _The poor Caretaker, I fear his long-standing duties here have... affected him._

Each one of the Louds glanced to each other and sighed. Lori marched over to the wagon in a miserable slump and Leni followed, shooting her younger sisters one last withering glare and she passed them. Luna and Lisa both flinched under Leni's onslaught and the guilt could be easily read on their faces as they hauled themselves to their feet and walked, Lola still in Luna's arms, over to the carriage.

Luna was the last to walk up to the carriage and as she passed the Caretaker he leaned down from his seat and gave the teen a wide grin of yellow teeth and rot breath.

"So, how'd you enjoy your first little adventure? Make some memories, get any souvenirs?"

Luna gave him the bird but the man just cackled and she filed into the wagon as she shushed her now sleeping baby sister. Poor thing was exhausted. So was she now to think about it. Exhaustion caught up to her and the last thing she saw before the darkness claimed her was Lori curled in a ball at the furthest corner of the carriage.

* * *

The ride back to the mansion was uneventful, and that in and of itself was a blessing. The mission, in a sense, was a success. They knew what was down there, and the rescued Lola. While this was good news it was also troubling, as it confirmed Lori's fears that other were here, Lori now had to assume all her little siblings were present.

Oh God, what about Lily?

Lori bit her lips and screamed into her mouth as she doubled over, trying her damnedest not to think about it. It was just a shitshow wasn't it, just a big fucking mess and she didn't even know where to begin to salvage it. Her carefully crafted mask had been abandoned down there, torn aside in one brief moment and she was exposed now. Maybe she deserved it, trying to pretend she had any idea what to do when she was just as scared and lost as the rest of them.

There was a knock on the door and Lori wiped her eyes and tried to straighten her hair.

"Y-yeah?"

The door opened with a creak and Leni peeked her head in.

"Hi Lori."

"H-hi Leni. Um, look I know you don't want to sleep alone but I need some space tonight so if you could-

"It's not your fault."

Lori's words died on her tongue and she scrunched her face up.

"I'm a monster."

"No, you're not Lori. He was going to hurt Lola, just like that other guy from earlier hurt Luna. You were protecting them. Besides, monsters have sharp teeth and claws and are all hairy with a bad attitude. You have a bad attitude but none of the other stuff and that's just because you're stressed, like mom when she needs to get Lynn to soccer practice and Lola to her pageant on the same day."

Lori snorted and chuckled despite herself but kept her eyes on the floor all the same. Leni strode forward and wrapped her arms around her sister and the two shared a hug.

"They hate me," Lori mewled through her reemerging tears.

"No, they don't. They're just scared. They don't understand. They think it's one way when it's another or maybe not either way and it get them, like, totes confused but they'll get over it. You've kept them safe so far. They'll need to get over it."

The two shared their hug for some time, leaning into each other and sharing in the familiarity of the other's presence before Lori's tears stopped and she sniffled, breaking the hug to wipe her eyes.

"Thanks Leni, I can always count on you."

"I wouldn't, I'm totes bad at math. Anyway, I can't sleep, I think I'm going to see what's in the fridge. Oh! Maybe I can make a smoothie! You want one~"

Lori genuinely smiled but shook her head. "No thanks Leni. I'm gonna hit the hay. Goodnight sis, see you in the morning."

Leni gave her sis a sad smile and nodded. "Goodnight Lori. I love you."

Lori blushed and rubbed the back of her head as her little sister turned on her heels and walked out the door, shutting it softly behind her.

As the darkness filled the room Lori's smile faded. The weight in her heart was still there, no longer crushing her but weighing her down all the same. She was lost, she was cracked, she was scared, but she wasn't alone. Taking comfort in that at least Lori meandered over to the bed and crawled under the covers. Fatigue wore heavily on her bones and the tiredness creeped in as she settled.

Suddenly Lori's eyes shot open and she gasped as the most terrible realization fell upon her.

She couldn't call her Bobby-Boo-Boo-Bear!

Lori reached over and grabbed a pillow, stuffed it into her face, and screamed.

* * *

 **A/N: Ouch, poor Lori. It would appear that the burdens of leadership have been taking their tole on the oldest Loud. The voices in her head can't be helping much either. At least Lola has been found, but where is Lana? The Loud girls certainly have their work cut out for them if they want to rescue the rest of their siblings from this accursed place and get home.**

 **Well, that's the second chapter done then lads. As always comments and critiques are welcomed, feel free to leave a review, and I'll see you all next time.**


	3. A Dance in the Dark

**A/N: Well, well. Here we are again, ready to revel in once again in the pain and suffering of the Loud family as they traverse the treacherous halls of the the Darkest Dungeon? I sure hope so, otherwise this chapter might come as a bit of a shock.**

 **Last time we were here the Loud girls were subjected yet another demonstration of the brutality of this world; not to mention the hazardous effects it might have on their poor, damaged psyches. Lori in particular has felt the stinging bite of this land's hostility and due to it may have already begun to damage her already tenuous relationship with her siblings. Only time will tell if the bonds of family will hold strong in the face of such unrelenting darkness.**

 **But even in shadow there is still light, and to their relief the Loud family is one more member strong upon the rescue of Lola. One can only hope it didn't come too late...**

 **Disclaimer: I own neither the Loud House nor Darkest Dungeon. Such materials are owned by Chris Savino/Nickelodeon and Red Hook Studios respectively. This is merely a work of fiction for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

In the darkness something moved.

Heralded by the rattling of bones, by the clanging of rusted metal chains, by the rank odor of rot slowly suffocating the already stale air something shuffled through the black; the sound of a single, strong footstep followed by the wet slap of something heavy dragging itself across the floor echoed through the stone corridors.

It left nothing in its wake but the echoes of a deep, rheumy cough and a foreboding sense of despair, of death and decay and hatred so powerful and deep it could drown the whole of the world. Well, that and something else...

Following this noise were the uniform steps of three more sets of boots, each one in line with the other, consistent and unvarying in their stability, never once slowing down or stopping as they followed the hobbling mess. No, not followed, they were being led. A procession of the damned through Hades, not pilgrims of the dead but nonetheless denizens of this dark underworld.

Other than the sound of footfalls and the constant and repulsive noise of squelching, moist flesh as it smacked on the ground there were no sounds, no conversations were had, no words of encouragement nor orders were given. Only the boots, the flesh, and the haggard breaths of whatever was dragging itself around.

They did not travel by torchlight, they did not travel by lantern, they either had no need for light or they simply did not fear what lurked in the darkness, perhaps they were what needed to be feared? Perhaps they were worse than anything the darkness could conjure and perhaps that was why the things that skulked and skittered about out of sight and mind in the darkness and beyond the fragile veil of life and death kept their distance.

Things watched them march with eyeless sockets that saw all the same, their vision not their own but a one-sided mirror from which IT looked out and from which IT saw everything you were and would ever be and nothing escaped ITS sights, not even death would spare you.

Especially not death.

In the darkness something whispered, many somethings muttering and chanting in half-forgotten tongues as they intoned vows and curses in voices that echoed with the inflections of the dead, buried and forgotten and stolen from the Earth by things that crawled on flesh-less limbs and whispered foul things in the ears of the dead to make them walk. Bequeathing unholy life on that which should have been left behind to molder and sleep.

The whispers were cut off by the snick of a match being struck on stone and then there was light. It was a tiny, fragile thing, glowing dimly as it tried to weather the tide of darkness surrounding it, smoldering it with inky tendrils, eager to snuff out the interloper. With a brilliant flash the flame blossomed into something beautiful and dangerous in its own right as the meager flame was transferred to a torch from which it could grow and spread, banishing the hissing darkness around it to the far corners of the room; illuminating the horrors that dwelled within.

Subtly, imperceptibly, the things that marched through a domain not entirely their own flinched at the light. The Three that waited for them did not. It was a small thing, but it was a reminder to the interlopers that monsters they might be there were still creatures in the dark that ruled their own realms and though they might acquiesce to their presence such contrivances did not denote total mastery.

The room was illuminated to a degree, and the scene was almost as if from the courts of royalty. The noble guests had come to parlay with their gracious hosts, as they burst in extravagantly through enormous, ornately decorated wooden doors. Their hosts were no less regal, looking down on them impassively, haughtily even from their beautifully designed staircase, the red carpet rolled out just for them. Only, the door was rotten from a century of disuse, the carpet was no longer red but a stale rust after having been left to molder in foul conditions, and neither party present could be misconstrued as noble.

In the light they were revealed for what they were, cultists the lot of them but one noticeably cut from a different cloth than his fellows. There was one female in the group, a shapely creature adorned in black and gold robes with red sashes that concealed her flesh but not her form, even her face was hidden behind a golden mask in the shape of a skull. In her hand she tightly gripped a golden scepter with a strange metal cage adorning the tip from which a thick, black smog emanated. Flanking the woman were two hulking guards, male cultists similarly adorned but the chest and arms exposed to show off their muscles, hard as steel with glowing red veins pulsing below the skin. The males carried no staves, their weapons were of a more personal variety; huge golden claws worn on the wrists, that their shine was marred by layers of dried, red stains spoke volumes as to their effectiveness.

But leading this parade of the damned was something else entirely. It was a monster, covered head to two in the robes of its cult but in many of them stitched together to cover its pulsating, misshapen mass. It was an enormous creature, hunched as it was it was still easily the tallest figure in the room by a healthy margin. It was evident little care had gone into the creation of its cloak, as could be seen from the way it shifted as things writhed about underneath, strange bulges in the skin that pushed up at the cloth and back down in varying places that shifted constantly. The only thing that laid uncovered was the massive, slimy, protuberance that wriggled its way from underneath the robes where the right leg should have been, twitching and squirming seemingly of its own accord as it sought the warm embrace of flesh denied to it. In the light it could be seen for what it was, a throbbing mass of octopus tentacles.

By comparison the three figures that greeted the entourage could almost be seen as normal, for they were three clearly humanoid figures, each identical in every way, that concealed not only their flesh but their very existence with long, heavy red cloaks with hoods pulled up and under their heads. They had no faces, only an empty black expanse, a circle cut into the cloth covering their heads, totally devoid of all light; indeed, the light seemed to shine away from it, as if afraid. Metal chains were tightly wound around their bodies, though if they were meant to keep the robes up or if they were trying to keep what lay under the robes contained was anybody's guess, and other strange curiosities hung from them: potions and containers carrying vial green liquid that glowed with a sickly light. Around their necks they wore heavy metal instruments, shaped not by fire but by their own bare, flesh-less hands into the holiest of symbols; an archway with intersecting diamonds piercing into it, the same symbol the cultists wore on their own skull masks.

The holy symbol of fear.

The two sides silently regarded each other, it lasted only a second, it lasted only forever, down in the deep of the Earth, in the black and in the cold grip of the grave. Slowly, the mutated behemoth moved, there was a tremor beneath its robe as the flesh sought to escape the confines of its prison and what should have been an arm but was instead a goiter-laden, spine-embedded, tentacle shot out from the confines of its robe. Fanged mouths split the flesh along its rim and they spoke of the folly of Men and whispered secrets older than the Earth. Nobody paid much attention to them as the Ascended Cultist shuffled itself before the Three on its diseased limbs and pointed its clawed tentacle at the middle figure.

" _ **We have concerns**_ ," it drawled in two distinct voices, one the gravelly voice of a man who had walked the harder paths in life and the other an ominous inflection that echoed with all the malice and hate IT could muster through ITS puppet. " _ **Our kin have perished here in your own tombs, we felt it, we know it. Is this treachery**_ ," he asked, almost clumsily as if he was unaccustomed to the forming of actual words, or perhaps just words in languages that hadn't been buried and forgotten by people who sought not to traffic with the ruinous powers as he had. There was an undercurrent in its voice as well, a slight edge that almost seemed hopeful, hopeful that this was treachery, so that it might have excuse to partake in its preferred proclivities

If the Three took offense or even acknowledged the thinly veiled threat could not be gleaned from their reactions, for they did not protest, they did not flinch or move for their weapons, they did not even breath as they stood silent and still as statues, as the dead they resembled and by all accounts should have been. But the dead hadn't done much resting as of late, and without word or warning they as one, as one body, as one mind, approached their guests. The stairs did not impede them for they did not seem to use them, there was no movement under their robes to signal the use of legs, they stood as stock-still and straight-backed as the moment they were received; the only one out of uniform was the one on the left, as it held the torch aloft with skeletal claws. As they floated down the stairway the cultists flinched, they could feel the power that emanated from them and it was nothing to deny, though the forces they employed were crude they were many and they could be felt in the shadows along the edges of the room, watching and waiting for their masters' signal. The only one that made no movement, aside from the almost gentle swaying of his body as he tried to steady himself on his many moving limbs, was the leader of the cultists. He sneered at the approaching Necromancers, thoroughly unimpressed with the display of such meager powers.

He knew power, he had been touched by God.

" _Concerns... unfounded_." The voice of the middle one rang out, speaking in a thousand tones and inflections, none of which were its own. The voices of soldiers and peasants and nobles, of men and women and children, broken voices stolen from the dead. " _Intruders. Late Estate Master's... progeny_."

" _ **HIM**_!" The Ascended One's roar filled the cavern with and his tentacles lashed out in all directions, fiercely whipping through the air with scything spikes and gnashing fangs and it was all the other cultists could do but trip over themselves as they backed away for their Master's wrath was indiscriminate.

" _No_." the Necromancer Lord spoke again, with a note of finality as harsh and resounding as death. " _He is gone. Left this... mortal coil. His soul... lost to us. These... are new. Family. Granddaughters... perhaps_."

" _ **Granddaughters**_!?" the cultists squealed, unsure whether to be infuriated or incredulous, probably both in this case, he could sense even his follower's skepticism about this recent development. " _ **Children impede our progress? The Almighty will not stand for this**_!"

 _"No need to worry... we will handle this. The novice alone... will suffice."_

The cultist growled and suddenly he was clambering up the stairway quicker than his bulk would suggest he was capable off. His eight eyes glowered down at the faceless one and he snarled like an animal.

 _ **"I've had enough of this, of you. Your indifference, your ways, your air of superiority. You claim to know great secrets but you know nothing for you foolishly look down on us as mere sheep, but it is you who are unaware of your own place in the Universe you old, dead thing. You are just as much pawns as we, but we are better off for we embrace our roles, and for our subservience are justly rewarded by God ITSELF! You deny your connection to THE HEART of GOD!? Your rotten carcasses only move by ITS grace and beneficence and you would do well to remember that while you stay down here in the dark and play soldiers with the dead!"**_

For a time, silence reigned. Not a sound was made, not by the Necromancers, not the Cultists, not the gibbering tentacle mouths, even the dead in the dark had ceased their moaning and rattling.

 _"Are you... done?"_

The Ascended Cultist screamed and brought his tentacle arm around in a wide arc, fully intending to dash the heretics before him into splinters of bone and gibbering flesh. He didn't get very far; his crude maneuvering had left his chest exposed and The Three brought their hands up level to his barrel. There was a brilliant flash of light that lasted for only a second but the effects were made clear as the mutated cultist was sent flying backwards down the stairs where he landed and lay in a crumpled, heaving heap.

 _"Yes... you're done."_

The other cultists tensed and drew their weapons and the reaction was immediate as the dead swarmed into the room from every corner and shadow, crawling on skeletal limbs and clutching cudgels and rusted spears in their bony talons. The cultists soon found themselves surrounded by an army; outclassed they lowly lowered their arms, left to the inscrutable mercies of the dead.

" _No need... for such things_ ," the Necromancer Lord spoke, and as one the dead lowered their arms and withdrew; but only a little. The Three resumed their march until the stood at the foot of the stairs and before the groaning mass of cultist that was already beginning to stand. _"No need... for hostilities. Allies... we are. A gift... we have. Compensation... for your dead."_

" _ **You return the bodies**_?"

" _No. The dead... are ours. Your God... gets the souls... yes? We get... the flesh... and bones_."

" _ **Then what could you possibly have to offer me**_?" The cultist looked down at The Three and seemed to be considering whether or not to go for another swipe.

" _An enemy_."

There was a rattling in the shadows and two skeletons crept in from the decrepit doorway, in their claws they carried a struggling bundle. Whatever their quarry was it had yet to realize it was doomed, for the dead did not tire, they did not heed struggle or pleas for freedom and reason, and their grip did not relent. The cultists remained alert, and their leader aloof despite his stung pride, but their attention was caught as a muffled scream came from the sack. It sounded feminine, and young.

Curiosity overcame caution and the female cultist slowly approached the skeletons, wary but excited all the same as the kicking bundle redoubled its efforts to free itself from the iron grip of the skeletons. The cultist acolyte grabbed the burlap sack where it bulged out the most and tore it with one quick jerk, and a small head with a mop of jet black hair tumbled out.

She was a cute little thing, pale skin and black hair, red flushed cheeks as she gulped in the stale air of the catacombs, blue eyes wide as she looked every which way. She looked first to the witch, then up to the skeletons holding her, then back to the witch, and finally over the woman's shoulder where the other cultists and the Necromancers had gathered, glowering down at her.

" _A sacrifice... as you like. The blood... of our enemy. Corrupted... bled dry... we'll have... what's left_."

The little girl started breathing harder, her legs and arms kicking out futile against her confines. The witch grabbed her chin and looked her in the eyes and her mouth split her head from ear to ear in a disgusting grin as the brawlers behind her sharpened their blades. The skeletons grinned down at her silently, their empty eye sockets twin portals to oblivion. The thing that was all tentacles and mouths and warped, twisted, cyst-infused flesh laughed and laughed and reached for her with its puss-engorged tentacle, the mouths lining it whispering dark secrets into her mind in words she couldn't comprehend as they closed in over her head.

In the darkness Lucy Loud screamed.

* * *

Leni Loud yawned, stretching her arms out as she leaned back and grunted when she heard a light crack. Smacking her lips with a dazed grin the teen rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and shook her head. That was a good sleep! Almost as good as the first night, these beds were fantastic. Still, it would've been better if Lori were here, years of sleeping with another person close had made Leni grown accustomed to the casual close contact, but Lori wasn't feeling good so she chose her own room to bed for the night.

Suddenly Leni shot straight up, her eyes wide and mouth set in a tight grimace.

 _Oh yeah_ , she thought, her good mood thoroughly trashed as the memories of yesterday came rushing back. _Lori..._

Leni's older sisters was not having a good time. In fact, yesterday was a bit of a disaster for the oldest Loud sibling, what with the whole being trapped in an underground castle and being attacked by spooky Halloween decorations.

Leni wasn't the smartest girl around, this was something she knew and knew and accepted, though it would no doubt shock people to learn this. Leni didn't see the point, she had spent all her life up till very recently trying her best to improve, to get better and smarter at things, to learn the things everyone else made look so easy. But it wasn't easy, not for her, so if this was the best she could do then this is what she'll have to be. So smart she might not be, but Leni made up for it in her own way, where she failed in mathematics and history and language comprehension she trained to make up for in heart, in noticing how others felt and how to act around them. And Lori wasn't feeling good, you didn't need to be Lisa to see that.

Lisa!

Leni huffed and sat cross-legged in her bed, clenching her fists tightly as her face settled into an uncharacteristic scowl. That little missy was in trouble, big time! Her and Luna. Those two had made Lori feel so bad about herself last night that she looked ready to cry, Leni didn't even want to hear their excuses.

Wait, no, that wasn't fair. Leni sighed and tried to calm down, massaging her cheeks so worry lines wouldn't show, (she didn't have her make-up kit here so she had to be careful) no longer grimacing but still frowning. Her little sisters were being so rude lately, especially Luna with her little episode back in that pretty church with the nice priest, or back in the ruins. Leni groaned and rubbed her temples, she didn't handle those well either, Luna told her she was looking out for her but it was just so frustrating; her head wasn't completely full of air and she could make her own decisions just like the others. Leni was the big sister, that meant she had to be the one to look out for her little siblings, not the other way around! And yet, she couldn't be mad at Luna, not really, after everything they'd all been through Luna perhaps had suffered the most, or at least had been the first.

And for a split-second Leni remembered that first day and the images flashed through her mind: when that bandit hurt her sister, the sight of Luna's split chest, the blood pooling up and out of the ragged, gaping hole in her tummy, the glassy look in her dead baby sister's eyes-

Leni screwed her eyes shut and wiped away the tears leaking from her eyes. _Don't think about it,_ she thought to herself, bringing her hands up to her head and squeezing the sides until it hurt. _Just don't think about it and it can't hurt you._

When the visions soon faded Leni moaned and slowly got out of bed, heading over to the desk at the far end of the room. The mirror that sat atop it reflected a haggard face that for a few seconds Leni didn't even recognize, bags under her eyes and her glossy golden hair layered now with grease and poking up in odd angles. It was all Leni could do not to shriek at the absolute sight she'd become, so much for her good morning! With a whimper Leni brought her not-so-well-manicured-anymore nails up to her frayed hair and rubbed her split ends. Maybe Lola had a brush she could-

Leni's bright mood instantly returned. How could she be so stupid, Lola was back! They had found her deep in the ruins and Lori had saved her from some evil people that wore weird clothes that looked like bath robes with pictured of horrible things stitched on them and they wore skull masks made of gold and did horrible things to people. They wanted to kill them, they wanted to kill her baby sister.

Leni shook the bad thoughts away like Lori taught her when they were little and just starting Middle School and Leni overheard those mean girls saying nasty things about her and though she couldn't understand the words (except stupid of course) she did understand the tone and it hurt; but Lori made it better, she always made things better. Luna and Lisa were scared of Lori for being strong enough to do what she had to, but now Lori was all cracked up like a broken vase. Leni tried to glue her back together, like Lori would do when they were kids and Leni broke things so she wouldn't get in trouble, but she was afraid it wasn't working. Maybe she needed tape?

Leni's head hurt, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad or scared or angry and it was making her head hurt and her heart race and she really had to calm down like Lori taught her. With another sigh Leni stopped trying to make herself halfway presentable and left her room, still in her nightgown as she walked barefoot down the freezing halls until she found the room she was pretty sure Luna was in. She was about to knock but stopped short and with a sheepish smile instead slowly nudged the door open, wincing as the ancient wood creaked. Leni poked her head in and squinted into the dark room, grinning when she spied a lump of covers on the bed.

Tip-toeing into the room Leni made her way over to the bed and loomed over it with a broad, toothy smile and a twinkle in her eye, she hooked her fingers into the bed sheets and slowly pulled them down, revealing the two snoozing faces hidden underneath. Leni brought her hands up over her mouth, trying to hold back her squeal of delight as Lola's darling little face snuggled into Luna's neck. The poor girl had been listless all day yesterday, even after rescuing her Lola didn't talk or do much aside from hold onto Luna, shivering and muttering to herself in a daze no matter how much the others tried to coerce her into conversation. By the time the sun had gone down it was realized Lola had no intention of not only talking but letting go of Luna, so it was decided it'd be best for the girls to bunk together that night; or as many as Lola needed.

Leni smiled and reached down to brush some of Lola's golden locks from out of her eyes. She looked so peaceful right now, so innocent, nothing like she did yesterday: eyes wide and pupils contracted, staring at everything but not really looking at anyone, not even realizing she was safe and that her sisters had come for her, whispering to herself about monsters trying to hurt her and screaming like hell itself was closing in on her when they tried to pry her off Luna. Maybe today could be different, maybe Lola will talk today. That's all Leni really wanted right now, just a sign, something to show her that her baby sister was going to be alright.

"I'm sorry Lola," Leni whispered, and leaned down to kiss her head. Leni's heart skipped a beat when Lola's mouth curved up into a smile and she had to stifle a sob of relief lest she wake her sisters from their well-earned slumber. With another kiss, this one planted right on a snoring Luna's cheek, Leni turned on her heels and crept out of the room, closing the door behind her softy. At first her intention was to wake the girls for the day but after seeing that, how could she? Best just to let them sleep, it wasn't like they had school or anything so why not?

Walking down the chilly halls at a brisk pace Leni decided to go back to her room and change, also she made a mental note to tell that Caretaker fellow to turn up the thermostat, she never understood why dads liked to keep it low, after all it's better to be warm than cold. Or maybe he preferred it this way, Leni sure didn't and couldn't imagine why anyone would but conceded that people had their own tastes. Except fashion; that was, like, practically a law.

Not that fashion had much bearing these days it seemed. Leni's nun costume, or habit as Lori told her it was called, wasn't exactly trendy, though it was way cuter than Lori or Luna's outfits, but it seemed to be important so she wore it anyway. At the very least the hood hid her messy hair so nobody had to look at her. She'd hate to disappoint the nice preacher man after all, and she did promise him that she' fix up his church, didn't she? Hey, Luna had gold, she'd ask Luna for some money! Certainly they had enough to fix up the place. In fact, she'd probably be proud of Leni for thinking it up and for looking out for the people in the town. Great Pop-Pop may not have been the nicest guy around, the locals sure didn't seem to like him too much, but he left them a town to look after and Leni decided to do just that. Who knows, maybe she might just turn the people's opinions around about not only their Ancestor, but the girls too.

Plan in mind Leni nodded her head and left the room. About thirteen seconds she ran back in and with an embarrassed giggle rooted around the armoire until her hands closed around a long leather hilt and she pulled free her cudgel. It was not a nice-looking weapon. Granted most weapons weren't, by design a weapon is made for one purpose; destruction pure and simple. Oh sure, you used them for self-defense, and the defense of your loved ones, but weapons were made to harm things all the same and that's what made them useful. Weapons were tools, they had to be used by a person to have any real effect on the world (with the exception of obviously cursed weapons forged by old, terrible things that hated everything and whispered awful thoughts in people's minds) and this was no exception, ugly as it was it had no other purpose than what could be gleaned at a first glance.

This weapon had certainly been built with such intentions in mind. There was nothing about this weapon that wasn't useful, the leather handle wrapped in rough, red wrappings for easy gripping, the cold steel head of the weapon, heavy and thick yet surprisingly light and even Leni noticed how odd that was. Of course, the real centerpiece were the spikes jutting out of the metal and Leni knew from first-hand experience how sharp they were. There wasn't anything flashy about it: it wasn't shiny, it wasn't a pretty color (aside from the copper stains around the spikes), there were no laces or ribbons tied to it, there weren't even any runes of power in ancient, dead languages carved into it. There was nothing extravagant or grand or even noble about its design or purpose; it was a club and it was used for bashing someone's brains in, nothing more and nothing less.

Leni never considered herself someone who had it in her to hurt others, but it seemed Leni was learning a lot about herself recently. People wanted to hurt her so she hurt them back, people wanted to hurt her sisters so she hurt them first. It was, in a Leni kind of way, logical. She could follow this sort of thinking easily, you do something bad and you get punished for it, so simple. At any rate she had grown attached to her cudgel, it had saved her life several times now and Leni got a certain thrill from using it. Its weight in her hands as she swung it, the way it collided with bone, jarring her hands and sending tremors of pain followed by numbness up her arms. The sounds it made when she broke the skeletons with it, snaps and cracks she had never really heard before but were just so much fun to listen to as the dusty things fell apart with a few cracks to their skulls. Leni brought her weapon up to her face and kissed the stained metal in a show of affection that went unappreciated for its time.

Yes, she loved her nun's beating-stick, almost as much as she loved her book. Oh yeah! With another giggle Leni reached back into the furniture and fished out a frankly enormous book with pages as thick as her head. In comparison to the weapon the book was quite lovely, with a golden cover and calf-skin pages decorated in all the finest calligraphy the monks the church kept locked underground and fed on a steady diet of salamanders could provide. Images of gallant knights slaying the fish-headed abominations below the waves, of trench coat wearing Victorian men hunting werewolves with giant saws (that is to say, the men were using the saws, not the werewolves), and armies of nuns outfitted with chainsaw-swords battling laser-wielding robotic skeletons and so much more besides that adorned the pages within and Leni spent most of her time flipping through them just to look at the pretty pictures. She had a good feeling Lincoln would love it too, it seemed right up his alley with all the knights and swords and scantily-clad super-heroines even though he'd deny the last part. There was also the matter of the strange letters that covered the pages, Leni didn't recognize them (it was Latin as Lisa later told her) but somehow that didn't stop her from being able to read and understand them (and when she informed Lisa of this the poor child genius said nothing and shut herself away in the library) or agree with what they had to say either. Basically, monsters were bad and evil and the Ruinous Powers (and yes, they had to be capitalized) wanted to hurt people and it was only through faith that one could fight back against the ancient and unknowable horrors that lurked beyond the veil, mostly by burning cultists and beating up evil-doers while screaming litanies.

Neat stuff really, good wholesome family entertainment. She wasn't sure what a litany was or how to scream one but it sure sounded swell, maybe Lori could teach her and then she could scream it for Luna and her little sister wouldn't be so scared all the time. Maybe then she'd stop acting like there was something wrong with the church and she wouldn't look down on Leni for believing in it. Maybe then she wouldn't be so upset with Lori anymore and treat her nicely instead of ignoring her or glaring at her when her back was turned. Maybe then she wouldn't keep the things she takes from chests for herself and hide them in her jacket when she thought nobody was watching.

Leni hugged the book to her bosom and gently cradled the sacred text like a swaddled newborn as he sauntered out of the room, club at her hip and armor rattling with every step. She wasn't even sure if she'd need the armor today but she had a feeling that they weren't done just yet just because yesterday was a bust, after all they found Lola in those ruins so what if another sister was down there? Leni could never leave one of her own behind, if her baby siblings were here she was going to find here, no if's, and's, or but's about it. And if anybody got in her way then they'd have to answer to Leni Jr. That was the beating stick. That's what she was naming it from now on.

Plus, they still had that Necromancer to deal with. She didn't really know what a Necromancer was at first but Lisa told her on the walk over to the Ruins that it was somebody who made old dead things get up and start moving around. Leni still didn't get it, at least not until she met her first skeleton and it tried to kill her big sister.

"A foolish supershtition," Lisa had said, "A schientific imposshibility."

What a load of phooey that turned out to be! Something about those skeletons scared Leni, and not just because they were spooky like Halloween; it wasn't the way they moved and it went beyond their empty eyes, it was something deeper than all that put together. They were wrong, they shouldn't exist, the dead shouldn't be getting up and hurting people but this Necromancer thing was telling them too and it was awful, it was a monster. Leni knew what to do with monsters, her book told her.

As Leni meandered through the halls, down the stairs, and towards the kitchen she hummed a little ditty she overheard in town the other day about an old 'lady of the night', whatever that was, that Lori didn't want her singing but she wouldn't tell her why (never said anything about humming though) and thought about what she was going to do today, then idly wondered where the Caretaker was always shambling off to and if he'd like to have breakfast with them. He was a creepy fellow, but seeing as he was taking care of them she decided he must be an alright sort so she'd give him a chance all the same. He hadn't really done anything so far, aside from give them that list of course. Maybe he could give her another list of all the people in the village so she could say hi to them, people liked it when you knew their names-

"Leni!"

"Eh?" Leni blinked and shook her head, glancing every which way around the room until she spied Lori sitting at the breakfast table, a scowl on her face and eyebrow raised. Lori seemed like her usual self already, but then she was never really a morning person, so it could be just that, and judging by those bags under her eyes big sis hadn't slept well last night if at all. Now that's a real shame, Lori was pretty she shouldn't have to deal with dark bags, so unattractive...

"You alright Leni, you're spacing out." Lori thought about what she just said and despite herself cracked a grin. "Well, more than usual."

"Oh, hi Lori! Yeah, I'm alright, the floors are cold here though and I don't have my slippers," Leni chirped with a wide smile as she meandered over to the table, just now noticing the spread of vittles adorning it. "Oh boy, breakfast," she cried out, rubbing her hands and salivating as she examined the veritable feast laid out for them this morning.

And what a spread it was: a smorgasbord of eggs sunny-side up, stacks of pancakes piled up and dripping with golden syrup, toast with strawberry jam on the side, ham and sausages still sizzling fresh from the oven, and a silver bowl packed full of a wide variety of fruits arrayed in delicate patterns. Leni leaned over the buffet, letting the warm aroma of the food wash over her as she appreciated the obvious effort that went into this. But no, this wasn't just labor, for whoever made this meal it was an art, a way of life. The sheer craftsmanship that went into this left Leni breathless, but mostly it just made her hungry and without wasting a second Leni grabbed the china plate next to Lori's seat and started helping herself.

"Like, this is totes amazing! Who made this, the Caretaker?"

Lori snorted and casually scratched the side of her head with her mace. "As if. Apparently, he went out and literally hired these two chefs, they're twins. He said they used to work on a cruise or something, 'The Maw' I think, weird-ass name for a liner if you ask me. Anyway, they're like the best chefs in the world or something."

"No kidding," Leni garbled out through a full mouth stuffed with pancake and egg. "Ish delishioush!"

Leni turned her head away as if disgusted but Leni wasn't fooled, she could see the grin on her sister's face and could hear the stifled giggle before she covered her mouth with a gauntlet and coughed.

"Learn to chew sis," Lori huffed, and Leni obliged by gulping down her mouthful and laughing. Leni was about to take another bite but stopped short when she noticed Lori's plate. It was still half-full, the expertly prepared meal just left to sit and cool while Lori twiddled her thumbs and generally looked sorry for herself.

"Is something the matter?" Leni asked, pointing at the plate with a fork when Lori turned to her. "You've barely touched your food. Are you sick?"

Lori blinked and rubbed the back of head, eyes not quite meeting her sister's questioning gaze as she looked off to the side almost sheepishly. "Oh no," she quickly said, her eyes darting towards the far-off kitchen door. "The food's great, it's just that, well, the chefs-

Whatever Lori was about to say went unheard as the slam of a door hitting the wall made both girls jump, and while Lori continued to avert her gaze away Leni turned towards the now open kitchen door and the monstrous figure looming inside it.

It was grotesque in every sense of the word, a massive creature far larger than any person Leni had ever seen before, even larger than that bandit she had to hurt back on the road, not only in height but in sheer width as well. It looked like a man, barely, and he wore a typical chef's outfit that hugged his curves in all the wrong ways while a tall chef's hat swayed on its bulbous head. Frankly, to call it a person might be a gross miscalculation, for while it had the overall humanoid body shape there was something wrong with it; the way it shambled around, the way its rolls of fat jostled as it waddled forward, the unnatural largeness of its head, the open expanse that was its mouth, its listless fish-like eyes that just stared dumbly without blinking as it gazed around the room. It was wrong, everything about it was wrong and it spoke only of an old, terrible hunger and Leni found herself paralyzed as he meandered closer to her, the open hole in his head sucking in ragged gasps of air as his glassy eyes fixed on the young woman, his body jiggling around as he stumbled forward. The only part of its body not jerking about were its arms which he held out as they bore a heavy cauldron, sloshing with a black bubbling liquid, a heavy fragrance emanating from it and one Leni immediately recognized at that.

Coffee!

Terror was immediately set aside with the reveal of that lovely, caffeinated brew and Leni practically vibrated in her seat as the lumbering oaf made its way to the table and gingerly set the pot on the table. Leni looked up at the brute's face, comprised mostly of sagging rolls of flesh and looking all the world like a particularly hideous blob-fish, with stars in her eyes and a wide, genuine smile on her face.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much I missed coffee. Are you the chef? O-M-G this food is to die for you're, like, the best chef ever but don't tell my dad that because he's a chef too but he should take lessons from you, you're totes an artistic genius. I'm Leni by the way, it's so nice to meet you!"

Leni's little speech was meet by the chef's dull expression, eyes staring at her but not focused and cavernous mouth hanging open dumbly as the monster seemed to be registering what the spunky young girl just said. With a sudden grunt the creature jerked back to some meager semblance of sentience and gave her a brief acknowledgment with a quick nod of its head before turning around (no small feat given his overall girth) and lumbering his way back to the kitchen. As he made his way back through the doorway, he turned back and gave Leni one more glance over the mound of flesh that might have once been a shoulder a few thousand pounds ago before closing the door behind him; though just before it closed Leni managed to make out the sight of another shambling thing lurking about back there, just as rotund and squalid as his brother.

Leni hummed to herself as she scooped up a shot of coffee with a chalice, no longer concerned by the chef's monstrous appearance. Heck, he could grow another head for all she cared, just so long as he kept bringing coffee and breakfast. Besides, no need to be rude to the poor fellow, he probably got enough of that in school or out on the street by random jerks, and Leni was sure that deep down (really deep down, he was rather large after all) he was surely nothing short of a perfect gentleman. After all, somebody who could cook this good had to be nice. Leni was about to continue with her meal when she noticed Lori from the corner of her eye. The older girl was still not eating and was now staring at Leni with a mixture of shook, disbelief, and maybe even a little admiration. The nuances of such meanings were lost on Leni, what she did pick up on was the cooling food and she clicked her tongue and affixed her older sibling with a disapproving glare.

"Now Lori, you know better than to let food cool. What would dad say if he saw you. Eat! The chefs worked hard on this."

"Well you don't have to tell me twice, dude. Smells great in here."

The two oldest Loud girls swiveled around and saw Luna standing there in her nightgown, rubbing her eyes with one hand while the other trailed off behind her, clutching onto something unseen behind her back. With a smile and gentle nudge Luna moved aside and Lola peeked out from behind her older sister. The sight was almost too much for Leni, her baby sister looked so small, so fragile, nothing at all like how Lola normally looked; where before the younger girl would be first and often loudest at the breakfast table now she only stared around with wide eyes, trembling hands clutched tight to her sister's dress, not saying a single word. Leni brought a hand up to her mouth to stifle the moan that threatened to tear its way past her lips and she heard Lori stand up from her chair and move around behind her. Lori stopped short of her chair, hovering near the table though Leni could tell her older sister desperately wanted to get closer to Lola, to wrap her up in a hug and tell her she was going to be okay. Something was holding her back though, she seemed hesitant for some reason.

"How is she," Lori finally whispered, her eyes set squarely on the shivering little girl who refused to make eye contact with anybody in the room, instead focusing on the food on the table.

Luna tried to smile but it was forced and looked painful, her eyes downcast as she removed her arm from Lola's grasp and rubbed the little debutant's head affectionately. The gesture went appreciated and Lola leaned into her sister's hand. Leni sighed and let a small smile slip through, seemed Lola still liked head-pats so at least that was still normal.

Luna sighed and looked Lori in the eyes. "She won't talk to me, I've been trying all night but she's just not saying a word. She won't let go either, she's always shaking and whenever she thinks I'm leaving her alone she freaks out and holds on tighter." Luna continued petting Lola's hair and the once boisterous young girl whimpered and buried her head in her older sister's thigh, though Leni wasn't sure Lola even understood that they were talking about her.

Lori let out a deep breath and walked towards them, hand outstretched and a ghost of smile on her lips as she shushed the whimpering child. But before the Lori could comfort her baby sister, just as her fingertips brushed the side of Lola's face, something happened that stopped Lori dead in her tracks.

Lola flinched.

Lori's gasp was soft, almost inaudible, but Leni could feel the pain in it and she winced as Lori drew back and held her hand close to her chest. Lori opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out and the oldest sister turned around just as her face began to scrunch up in pain and sat on the chair with a heavy thud. No sobs came out of Lori then, she simply didn't have any left to spare. Leni wasn't the only one to react to Lori's predicament though, Luna too reacted and turned her head off to the side. Guilt was clear on her face, but she didn't admonish her little sister, nor did she comfort her older one, she simply stood there awkwardly and let the regret wash over her as she tried to let the moment pass on its own.

The mood of the room thoroughly ruined Leni decided to act. Scooting her chair around she leaned forward towards her two younger sisters and held her arms out. "Come on Lola," Leni cooed, her tone sickly sweet and only somewhat pleading. "Come here sis, we got some yummy food here for you." Lola peered from behind Luna's leg, wide-eyed and silent but staring straight ahead past Leni and towards the table. She hadn't eaten last night, and no one was sure how long she was down in the catacombs, she must've been starving. Hungry as she was though, Lola didn't move from Luna's side, huddling close to her older sister as she eyed the food. Leni and Luna both waited but when it seemed Lola wasn't going to move Luna sighed and rubbed the side of her head.

"Look, Leni, I think she's still really shook up about the whole-

"Lola!"

All the girls in the room snapped to attention at Leni's tone, no longer warm and motherly but now authoritative. For Lori her sister's voice wasn't merely startling for its out-of-character quality, it was the same inflection she used to get Lori to snap out of her breakdown back down in the catacombs, and the oldest Loud wiped her eyes and watched her younger sister act with wide eyes and an open mouth. Luna herself gaped for a few seconds, unsure whether to chastise Leni for her tone or encourage her as it seemed to get through to their otherwise unresponsive sibling.

Leni didn't notice Lori or Luna though, her eyes were focused squarely on Lola who shrank back from her sister's voice and the look she was giving her. Leni and stern didn't normally go together, but with her brow furrowed and mouth set in a tight line the older girl looked every bit the older sister she so rarely acted like.

"C'mere!" Leni snapped and Lola considered her options for a few seconds before ever so slowly letting go of Luna's nightgown, giving Luna one last pleading look before meandering over to Leni when she saw Luna wasn't going to be standing up for her. Leni wasn't having any of Lola's wishy-washy attitude though, and the normally caring and concerned teen snorted and lunged. Lola barely had time to squeak much less duck out of the way as Leni scooped her up and planted her right on her lap, holding the shivering child close as she shushed her and pulled her plate of food towards her.

"See," Leni gently chided, petting her little sister's head, running her fingers through Lola's tattered locks as she tried to untangle the knots. "Nothing's going to happen, you're safe now. See, we even have food. You need to eat Lola, okay?" Lola soon stopped her shivering and relaxed in the familiarity of Leni's embrace, though Luna could see she was still on edge. While Leni's tone was no longer harsh it still had a sharp undercurrent to it, and Luna felt a shiver crawl up her back as she acknowledged the uncomfortable truth that this place was affecting Leni as well. As Leni tried to get their younger sister to eat something Luna wiped her eyes and turned her head about the room. For a brief second her eyes met Lori's, but Luna couldn't hold her oldest sister's gaze and she turned her body around, trying to find anything to focus on to escape the situation. She found unlikely salvation in the door to the kitchens, the clattering of dishes and the hustling of something large reminded her about the new employees the suddenly had and with a sigh Luna walked towards the kitchens, sheepishly rubbing her arm.

"Gonna go say hi to the chefs," Luna muttered, hesitating briefly just to make sure she was heard and only continuing when Leni gave a brief nod. Lori's expression also made her pause, going wide-eyed before a downright mischievous grin crawled its way across her face, but the oldest sister said nothing and quickly tucked her snickering face behind her hand before Luna could ask her what was up. The young Rock-enthusiast tried to brush off the unsettling suspicion gnawing at her stomach as she turned and pushed the door open, disappeared into the kitchens.

"Sup dudes, names Luna, just wanted to thank you guys for the gru-JESUS CHRIST WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE!"

* * *

The rattling of bones on hard stone echoed throughout the darkness, accompanied by the grunts and heavy breathing of something struggling, fighting with tooth and nail but never gaining purchase. Escape eluded Lucy Loud no matter how hard she fought. She could thrash all she liked, for the dead did not tire, her teeth found no purchase on their flesh-less forms, her wrists were clutched tight by skinless talons that lacked muscle but still held her with a supernatural strength. Still, Lucy fought, fear and anger welling up inside her and propelling her past exhaustion, fueling her though by all accounts she hadn't any strength left. The dead paid her no heed, ferrying her through the rotting corridors of the damned castle, guided by the green witch-fires of the cultists their masters sent them to follow.

Lucy preferred the skeletons to them, compared to those awful things wearing human skins the rough handling of the dead were tender mercies. The skeletons felt nothing, there was nothing personal in this for they had no personalities, they were soulless automaton following the whims of their masters. The Three, shrouded in red cloaks so no one could see what exactly was happening to them to produce the heavy odor of rot that wafted from them. They had caught her as she wandered in the dark, confused and scared and far away from the safety of her bed and her mom, they grabbed her up and whisked her away to a dark underworld where dead things walked, and worse things crawled out of sight, but they didn't kill her. Lucy wished they had, the cultists were worse. At least the horrible thing with pulsing skin and tentacles for legs had gone, though that she be left to its mortal companions was no consolation. The way they looked at her, laughed at her as they told her what they were going to do to her made her shiver and scream and throw up more than once now. Lucy thought she was dark, thought the things she came up with in her poems were the pinnacle of gothic and morbid. But Lucy was an eight-year-old girl, and these were monsters, and the things they wanted to do to her...

Lucy jerked away from her captors, fresh terror renewing her with almost unnatural vigor as she struggled against her bonds. They were going to kill her. Oh God, they were going to kill her! Lucy opened her mouth and tried to scream for her mom, for her dad, for her sisters and her big brother, for God and Jesus and anyone who might be listening to come and save her. Nothing came out but a strangled, ragged cough that scraped its way out of her throat and sent a fresh wave of pain down into her chest as she hacked up a faint speck of blood from her abused lungs. She had screamed so much already, she had cried and yelled, raged and pleaded, and all she got for her efforts were a raw throat, the cruel laughter of her captors, and the indifferent silence of the dead.

She was going to die down here. Lucy whimpered and went completely limp as the thought ran through her mind, scouring hope from her very soul as an existential dread settled within her. She didn't want to die, not really, she said it all the time, but she was sorry, she was so, so sorry.

"I'm sorry," she hacked, jerking her up and casting her eyes skyward. "I'm sorry God," she tried to scream but it came out a harsh whisper. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, nothing happened much to the delight of her tormentors as they heaped fresh abuses onto the poor child. Lucy ignored the verbal barrage, too tired and beaten to struggle, the fight finally snuffed out as the Darkness swallowed her flame up. The Light wouldn't find her down here, she was already dead.

So far gone was she that she didn't notice the skeletons had stopped in their tracks, their iron grip on her wrists slackened as their living comrades up ahead halted and called out into the dark. Lucy didn't see the second light in those dark tunnels appear, blue and brilliant in its luminescence, nor did she hear as the cultists called out to it, asking if it be a comrade then demanding it show its presence as the light neared, unwavering and indomitable in its approach.

She heard the screams though, and she felt the cold stone rush to cradle her broken body as she was dropped to the floor in a heap. Stunned and shocked Lucy lay there for almost half a minute before the sudden realization that she was free hastened her mental faculties and she scrambled to her feet. She should have rushed off into the darkness at that point, she should have run and not looked back; but then, perhaps if she had then her fear would not have given her the strength to fly so far. It was only a glance, just enough to make sure the cultists hadn't noticed her escape, and maybe just a little curiosity as to what could make those monsters scream so hideously.

Her answer was terrible to behold, a nightmare given flesh and form stolen by the bodies of those who hadn't the sense to flee in the face of such incomprehensible horror, or worse possessed such folly to think they could match swords with something beyond this world. Before Lucy's eyes the cultist witch screamed, kicking and crying and puking up blood as she tried to tear herself away from the glowed hand that pierced her chest as easily as a hot knife through butter. It cared not for her babbling as it clutched tightly on something inside her and slowly, agonizingly, it pulled out with a torrent of blood and organs cascading onto the ground and something white gleaming in its fist. It wasn't until the witch's head was sucked below her collarbone, into her chest, and out the gaping hole where it dangled in the air that Lucy realized her spine had been ripped out with her head still attached. A gruesome trophy for a gruesome creature, no matter how aristocratic its robes seemed as it pulled its coat open (and for a split second Lucy saw THEM, a hundred screaming faces sewn into its flesh or maybe it was its flesh maybe this thing was nothing but the people it killed and collected and that knowledge would have been terrible enough had not the faces been her own sisters screaming for her to join them) and stuffed its new still-screaming addition into the confines of its clothing before dropping the useless carcass to the ground. And though it was surrounded by the Dead and the Flesh Cult, though they attacked with the wild abandon only fear and stupidity can bring, it paid them no heed. For its skeletal face, submerged and illuminated in blue flames confined within a metal cage atop its shoulders, was focused solely and squarely on Lucy.

Lucy wasn't exactly aware of where she was going when she shot off into the darkness, to be perfectly honest she wasn't entirely conscious either. Exhaustion coupled with adrenaline fueled by complete and utter fear has an interesting effect on the mind of a person, never mind a child's, and it could be argued that Lucy was running on something closer to instinct than any conscious thought. She was running for her life after all, and the darkness does things to a person's mind. Complete and utter darkness, where you can't see your own hand in front of your face, where you can't see when there's a bend in the corridor up ahead, where you can't see the things moving all around you, but you know they're there because you can hear them whisper and brush your face with their cold, dead fingers. Such as it was Lucy's flight through the catacombs consisted largely of smacking into walls, tripping over rats and loose rocks, and bowling over skeletons as she ran around screaming, coughing, and crying her little eyes out.

Then she fell to the ground and slipped into the nothing.

* * *

Leni felt a shiver run down her spine and she grimaced. It was an icky, ugly feeling and Leni wasn't prone to entertaining such inklings even on her good days.

"I still can't believe we're doing this."

"I'm not having this discussion Luna, we literally have no choice."

Suffice to say today was not shaping up to be one of Leni's good days.

"That's easy for you to say," Luna snapped back at Lori, who hadn't the patience nor the inclination to turn around and deal with the petulant little rocker. "You always think you know what's best, well maybe we don't have to risk our lives fighting zombies in some underground castle. Maybe what we need to do is stay home and look after Lola, who might I add is, oh, I don't know, traumatized!"

"She's with Lisa," Lori snorted and glared over her shoulder, still moving forward at the same determined place, never pausing even as she shoved peasants aside and kicked at pickpockets. "She'll be fine," the oldest Loud snarled, smacking a street urchin that got a little too grabby for his own good as she continued her way. Behind her Luna snorted and looked over her shoulder back towards the manor.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure they're fine. What could possibly happen, leaving them completely alone in a strange castle all on their own, with that creepy caretaker and those two mutant chefs of ours. I'm sure they'll be right as rain, nothing but sunshine and fun times, eh luv?"

Leni groaned to herself at the back of the line and massaged her temples. This wasn't good, at this rate she'd get worry lines. Also, Luna and Lori had been fighting more and more lately and she didn't like that even when it didn't give her headaches. Lori was doing that thing she did where she'd pretend to be all tough because she was the oldest and it made sense to her, and Luna was acting up now like she was baiting Lori into starting a fight. A dangerous scenario, Luna should really know better.

"I mean," Lori started, voice low with a thick lining of venom behind the sickly-sweet tone, "you could always go back. I'm sure they'd love to have you. And it'd be easier for you too." Lori kept her brisk pace, but Luna fell behind, nearly tripping over her feet as Lori's words caught up to her.

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean!" Luna yelled, but Lori wasn't about to turn around or say anything as she continued down the road.

"Look," Luna called out as she raced ahead to try and keep her sister's attention. "If you're going to imply something you might as well go ahead and say it. Are you calling me chicken? Cause that's what it sounds like so let me just go ahead and tell you-

Luna's voice was soon drawn out by the din of the Hamlet's denizens as they went about their morning routines. Drunkards stumbled about moaning of their hangovers as urchins milled about them, their small hands eager and quick to dart in and out of pockets. Layabouts befouled porches and stoops with their presence while vagabonds and their ilk skulked in the shadows of eves and alleys. Prostitutes lined the street corners and called out to their johns when they weren't otherwise engaging the beggars in a turf war for the best spots to stand all day. Minstrels and rascals alike roamed the dirt roads, singing merry tunes and bawdry tales of unfaithful housewives while said women tried to bean them with the waste buckets they poured out of their windows onto the streets. As dead as the Hamlet seemed at first Leni quickly realized it was still alive in its own way, diseased and sluggish as it was there was a sort of energy to go with the general sense of dread that thickened the air of the place and though the proclivities of the people in this place was lost on Leni their lives weren't. These people were sick, she realized, and from the bottom of her souls she wanted to help them.

Leni groaned again and rubbed her temples. It was all well and good to want to help people, but how could she when she couldn't even help her own sisters. She could try and save them from monsters and bad guys, but Luna's fears, Lori's despair, those problems were beyond her and the inadequacy weighed heavily on the empathetic young woman. So caught up in her reverie was she that it wasn't until she felt the grimy fingers of some street orphan prying into her habit did she realize that her sisters where now long out of sight, and after delivering a quick chastisement with plenty of ear-pulling she tore off down the road of the Hamlet to try and catch up to them.

A sensible notion, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the roads of the Hamlet are paved with belligerent madmen, beggars, and the occasional dog-sized rat, and Leni soon found herself lost among the winding paths. The noise of street vendors shouting their wares cut through the air and the din of the village's denizens swarmed around her in a mad cacophony of threats, treatises, and downright insane prices. Oh, if only they were selling clothes! At any rate it wasn't that different from the mall's back home and Leni was soon swept up in a form of chaos she was more than a little intimate with. She hadn't the time to explore the Hamlet on her own yet, Lori and Luna both made it clear why they thought it'd be a bad idea for her to go wandering about, but Leni didn't see the harm and was delighted to revel in the sights, sounds, and smells of the bazaar.

And what curiosities, what wares! Trinkets and charms and knickknacks and all sorts of interesting things to ogle and gawk at. Cursed paintings, evil tomes of the dead, dream-catchers that claimed to trap ghosts for the owner's discretion's, and genuine Persian rugs with depictions of ancient squid-things sewn into it in pretty colors being only a few of the wares hawked by the stall-keepers and shady robed men leaning out of alleys and doorways. Leni danced in place and squealed, it was all just so authentic! If only Luna had given her a few coins when Leni asked her after breakfast, she'd get them all a few presents! So odd really, the way Luna held onto the coins, like she really wanted to be the one to hold onto their money. Where was she anyway?

Leni wasn't exactly sure where she was going now, it wasn't like the mall back home where she knew every store and vendor by heart, this place was a veritable maze of stony-faced merchants and sleazy salesmen all seeking to profit from their wares and perhaps get a nice bonus off the foreigner to boot. Nice Leni might be, but she wasn't exactly gullible. She'd been around the mall more than a few times and knew all about the usual scams. Leni wound her way through the markets, expertly dodging grabby pickpockets and ducking under the outstretched arms of vendors hoping to drag her into their stalls, her eyes greedily drinking in the contents and characters of each venue, searching for the best prizes and prices available if only so she could come back later with a full wallet.

How long she meandered she hadn't a clue, it was so easy to forget where you were at the market what with all the lovely distractions lying about, but out of all the stalls and shops she perused none managed to draw her in. A mall rat she might be, but Leni was ever the loyal client and if a store wanted her business it needed to 'click' with her on a deep, fundamental level she barely understood herself. Just when Leni was about to give up and go look for her sisters (where were they anyhow, it was just like them to get lost at the mall) something caught her eye, and with a gasp and a wide grin she knew she had found what she was looking for.

It wasn't very pretty, little more than a dilapidated wagon, a run-down pile of rotten wood with a few holes punched into the sides. It was missing a front door, it's front two wheels had been either broken or stolen which left it perched on cinderblocks, and the gemstone-inscribed sign above it was noticeably worn down and faded. But on the side of the wagon was an open window, and leaning against the sill, surrounded by fragrant candles and trinkets galore, was a woman with a twinkle in her eyes and a crafty smile. She was obviously not a local, her skin brown and her luxurious hair long and black, and she didn't seem nearly so brow-beaten and worn down as the rest of the Hamlet's residents. She looked like a gypsy Leni thought, and then immediately felt bad for typecasting her. The woman's clothing was also different, richly decorated with blues and reds and covered in shiny baubles; the jewels she adorned glinted in the candlelight as the woman spread her arms and called out to the wandering masses of peasants in the market.

"Come one, come all, this humble Nomad would never dare to refuse a customer. All who deign to look will find my wagon a treasure trove for the intrepid. Idol, amulet or lucky charm. The simplest object can be a talisman against evil."

"Ooh," Leni cooed as she approached the open window, eyes sparkling as she poured over the inventory hanging on the shelves behind the merchant woman. "I like that," she continued, fixing the bemused gypsy with a grin, "did you come up with that on your own."

"Sure enough, though the trinkets mostly speak for themselves. I only sell the finest of talismans, I take great pride in my wares, as my prices demonstrate. Now, to what do I owe the honor of this visit, Leni was it?"

"You know who I am?" Leni asked, head cocked and genuinely curious.

The woman's laugh was warm as chocolate and Leni couldn't help but smile. "Yes, I foresaw your arrival in the bones and crystals," the woman whispered cryptically. She picked up a shard of broken glass and inspected it for a second before tossing it aside with a grin. "Also, your reputation precedes you my dear. One of the very owners of this proud estate visiting my modest wagon? Truly, I must be blessed this day to be graced with your presence."

Leni blushed and waved the flattery off with a giggle. "I'm not anything special," she insisted, and affixed her gaze on the selection of goods. The nomad woman caught Leni's eye and turned aside with a soft smile, arm outstretched towards her stock with no small sense of pride.

"Like what you see? My own personal collection this. Treasures and secrets from faraway lands, no mere snake oils you'll find here. Nothing but authentic talismans and amulets, trinkets to fight back the Darkness." She leaned back on the window sill, cupped her jaw in her hands, and gave Leni a wink. "I'm sure there's something here for the young heiress too. Have a look."

Leni wanted to tell the mysterious woman she had no money to purchase anything anyway, but distraction took her by the hand as she poured over the collection. It was as the woman said, a great store of artifacts and oddities, each with their own poignant energies emanating from them so Leni could feel them even from outside. Talismans made of raven feathers and skin with runes carved into the hide, amulets with glowing gemstones stuck in bonds of silver, skull necklaces, rings that blinked back at you, and great tomes of forbidden knowledge that whispered in your head when you stared at them for too long. Why was this woman not getting more customers, she had everything!

Yes, the Nomad Wagon had many curiosities, but there was one thing in particular that caught Leni's eye. It wasn't a pretty thing, there were no gems sticking out of it nor was it covered in eldritch runes of power, it wasn't even shiny. It was a skull, a human's to be precise, with a candle sticking out the top. It really wasn't much, and the morbidity of being made out of human remains loses some its luster when you just fought skeletons yesterday, but no matter what she did it kept drawing Leni's eye. If anything, it was creepy, and she knew one little sister who would absolutely love it.

"How much for that?" Leni asked, pointing to the skull. The gypsy woman blinked and did a double take.

"That? That's just decoration, I put it out to draw in the locals. It doesn't really have much power, light the candle and it revives the senses sure, but that's about it."

"I love it!" Leni declared, staunchly standing her ground, lack of monetary funds momentarily forgotten.

The merchant shrugged and grabbed it up, holding the trinket out towards the young teen with a smile. "Fair enough, and who am I to deny the master of the estate? Now then, onto payment."

"No, I don't think so."

Both Leni and the nomad flinched at the hard voice and Leni slowly turned around with a sheepish expression. Lori wasn't happy, that much could be determined from the way she tapped her foot and crossed her arms. Luna also didn't look amused, but Leni could never bring herself to find her rocker sister threatening and frankly the way she tried to copy Lori's stance was just adorable. Why was Lori mad anyway?

"What the heck Leni! I take my eyes off you for two seconds and you run off!"

"Told you we'd find her at the mall," Luna sighed.

"What part of we're going to the Ruins sounds like we're going to the market!" Lori snapped.

"The 'We're going to the,' part." Leni said, and both her sisters groaned at the honesty of her tone.

Right, they were going to the Ruins to fight more skeletons, she totally forgot. Actually, this is perfect timing. Not wasting a second Leni marched right up to Luna and before the younger girl could say or do anything began to rummage around in the sack around her hips. Luna cried out a complaint when Leni pulled out a fist-full of coins, but the older girl didn't even hear her as she turned back to the gypsy and plopped the coins onto the counter.

"Will this cover it?"

"Oh yes!" The woman said.

"Oh no!" Luna cried and made for the pile of money; just a smidge too slow unfortunately as the nomad scooped the coins up and shoved the candle-holding skull into Leni's hands.

"No take backs," the woman snapped and slammed the windows shut in Luna's face.

Luna peeled herself off the wooden doors and rubbed her nose with a growl, glaring first at the wagon before turning back to Leni. The girl was oblivious of her sister's ire, much to enamored with her new purchase the lead any credence to her sister's dour mood.

"Look what I got," she cried, showing off the overrated Halloween decoration. "Won't Lucy just love it?"

Luna grunted. As a matter of fact, Lucy would love it. Doesn't mean it was worth all those coins though. But just before Luna could tell Leni off Lori grabbed them both by the hair and pulled the shrieking girls several feet away from the wagon into the middle of the road.

"Congratulations," Lori stated after letting go, fixing Leni with her trademark glare. "You got Lucy a present. Oh, but wait, we don't know where she is, and every second we spend looking for you is a second not spent finding her, or any of the others. Get this through your head Leni, you need to focus, I need you to focus, okay?"

Leni looked like she wanted to argue, her face scrunched up and cheeks puffed out. But as Lori's words sank in she deflated and looked down at the ground. Luna stood off to the side, not willing to be a part of the punishment and uncomfortable just being out in public. She took a few glances around and tugged the bag at her waist tight then pulled the scarf around her neck up over her mouth. Lori glanced over to Luna, sighed, and then looked back to Leni who was now looking at the ground and sniveling to herself. With a groan Lori walked up to her little sister and gave her a hug, humming to her as she wrapped her own arms around Lori's waist and hugged her back.

"I'm sorry," Leni mewled.

"It's alright."

"No, it's not," she grumbled and the seriousness in her voice caught Lori by surprise. "I'm always messing up and not understanding things even when you really need me too. I want to focus but I just can't, and I don't know why. I wish I wasn't so dumb all the time"

Lori gasped a little and held Leni tight. Suddenly she wasn't in the middle of a market in some run-down hovel, she was back home, seven years old and holding onto her mom's dress as the older woman tried to tell her there was something wrong with her little sister, with the way she thought and acted, and that she needed to be there for her to help her understand things. The memory passed as soon as it came, and Lori let out a deep breath and held Leni out in front of her.

"You're not dumb, don't ever say that." Lori's voice was firm and unwavering as she wiped Leni's tears away. "You're doing your best, you've done so much for me already I hate to ask more of you, but I need to. Our baby sisters literally need us, Lincoln's probably all alone out there on his own, they're all scared and maybe even hurt so we all (and she said this with a pointed glare at Luna who crossed her arms and looked away with a huff) need to get our acts together and try to find them." Leni sniffed and nodded her head, giving Lori a big smile who couldn't help but give one right back and pull her in for another hug. They stayed like this for a few seconds until another pair of arms snaked their way around them and Lori smiled, happy that Luna decided to join in on the family hug.

"Isn't this nice, I just love these family moments."

Nope, not Luna.

Lori growled and shoved off the intruder, turning face to face with the emaciated form of the Caretaker who cackled and hopped in place. Off to the side she heard Luna laugh and she snorted.

"What are you doing here old man?"

"What I do on the weekends is my own business," he admonished with a finger wag and another giggle.

Lori grunted and turned on her heels, unwilling to give the man any more of her time than she had too, but Leni's gentle "Wait," made her stop and she turned back to see her sister holding out the skull she had bought earlier to the Caretaker.

"Could you take this back to the manor for me please? It's a present for one of my sisters."

The Caretaker blinked and seemed to fold in on himself, perhaps taken aback by the show of genuine familial love. With a nod he held out his skeletal arms and took the present from Leni who graciously thanked him and joined up with her sisters. All three shared a quick nod of affirmation, and after locking their arms together to make sure there were no further separations, walked off down the road.

The Caretaker watched them go, silent and stony-faced as the trio of young heroes marched off into the distance, willing and perhaps even able to face the Darkness head on. Something unfamiliar welled up in his chest and he barked out a noise somewhere between a cough and a sob as an odd mistiness fogged up his eyes. He looked down at the little present the young mistress had placed in his care and to his surprise he felt something wet crawl down his cheek. A long, greasy tongue squirmed out the corner of his mouth and gave an experimental lick. Huh, salty...

"How very interesting," The Caretaker whispered in a voice not entirely his own.

* * *

Darkness was all that greeted Lucy Loud as she awoke, and normally for the young goth that would have been just fine in her book. By virtue of her more morbid hobbies light wasn't something she expressed any particular interest in, bright colors alone made her want to retch and the typical interests of girls her age were lost on her as she delved into the realms of the occult and macabre. Recently this had come to bite her in the ass, and considering her up-till-now experiences with true terror perhaps it was time for a change in venue. At any rate not being able to see even when you were sure your eyes were open isn't a particularly pleasant experience for anybody, much less an eight-year-old girl who had just a while ago been man-handled by the undead, threatened with excruciating death via human sacrifice by cultists, and seen no less than the brutal murder of said cultists at the hands of an eldritch abomination made of human faces.

Lucy curled up in a ball and whimpered to herself. The adrenaline coursing through her veins earlier, the raw drive to live that drove her to run from certain death and fly into a realm of eternal darkness just for another second of breath, was gone. Spent. Kaput. There was nothing left but fear, regrets, sorrow, and a dull, throbbing ache in her calves. Idly she reconsidered her disdain for Lynn's offers to exercise with her, but this had the unfortunate effect of reminding her she probably wasn't going to be seeing her sisters again which just made the whole situation that much worse. Lucy curled in on herself until her face was resting on her stomach and her knees curled up over her head in a little ball of terror and just a smidgen of self-loathing. Chances are she would have laid there for a good while, possibly forever, sitting in total darkness until she finally closed her eyes and never opened them again; but rarely is fate content to let things lie where they will, and Lucy's flight was far from over.

The sound was what caught her attention first. A low, crunching noise, echoing out of sight but certainly not out of mind as Lucy's stress-addled mind focused on the potential danger. Seems Lucy wasn't quite ready to give up yet, drab and morose as she was the child had some kick left in her and she wasn't about to go lying down. Though her muscles protested Lucy forced herself upright and gasped as the aches in her body shot pain through her system. That gasp would be her undoing, the life in it sent her senses coming back to her and Lucy quickly discovered that her sense of smell was putting in overtime. Lucy immediately doubled over and gagged, had she anything in her stomach she would have surely thrown up. It was wretched, it was disgusting, it was easily the worst smell she'd ever endured and she shared a room with Lynn. She hadn't the words to describe for she didn't have a frame of reference to base it off, the closest she could think of was the time some old meat went bad and stank up the fridge for a week.

Pinching her nose shut Lucy looked around as the chewing noise seemed to intensify around her and she could also hear a droning, buzzing noise that seemed to be both in the background yet also in front of her. It slowly began to dawn on her that what she was confusing for echoes were not in fact so. There was more than one, it was all around her. She was surrounded. Lucy whimpered and scooted back away from the sounds, but she only made it about a foot before her back hit solid stone. Terror once again welling up inside her Lucy staggered to her feet and turned around, her little hands patting at the wall that blocked her. No matter how high she reached she couldn't feel a top or break in the rock. She had fallen somewhere, but how, how did she get here? Lucy's flight through the darkness was a blur, all she could remember was that horrible nightmare from earlier and after that nothing but a profound sense of horror and a desperate need to get away. Had she fallen down a hole in her mad frenzy to get away?

Something like the sound of stick but sturdier being snapped rang out in the darkness and Lucy's knees went weak. She had to get out of here. Lithe fingers clawed at the unseen wall as Lucy tried to crawl her way up to sanctuary, and to her credit she managed to get about two feet up before gravity took notice and decided it wasn't going to be having any of that and brought her down with a heavy thud. Lucy groaned and rubbed the side of her head, thankful she didn't feel any blood but sporting a new splitting headache to further foul her mood up. As she tried to get back up on her feet her hands brushed something unseen, something long and wooden with a bundle of dry tinder and cloth stuck on one end. Breath quickening Lucy grabbed the abandoned torch and held it tight, nimble fingers trailing along the ground for further materials as she tried to block out the chewing sounds all around her. They sounded more energetic now.

After another minute of scrounging Lucy sported not only a torch but two sharp rocks in her hands, and though she had no idea if they were flint or not she was much too excited to let such trivial things as geology bother her. After all, it always works in the movies, right? Get two rocks, bash them together, and voila! This was of course utter nonsense, it requires not only force to ignite a spark but favorable conditions that included but were not limited to a non-damp environment, minerals capable of ignition, and kindling for which a fire to begin. Such as it was that around the fifth or so strike a spark caught the tinder and the end of the torch burst into flame in a brilliant flash of light and heat that illuminated the abandoned ruins. Lucy laughed to herself and pulled her bangs out of her eyes and she turned to face the gleaming red face of a dead man.

Lucy backed up into the wall as far as she could, her mouth wide in a soundless scream. The face had no skin, its grinning skull covered in glistening red muscle as black corpse-flies buzzed around it, the source of the maddening droning noise. Maggots fat on necrotic flesh squirmed and writhed in the sinew, their bodies so well-fed Lucy could see them carpet the corpse in front of her. Lucy took a quick glance around and amended herself, corpses. Dozens of them, stacked and piled in inhumane positions, carelessly tossed and strewn about without honor or mercy. To think, just a day ago, to read of such a thing would have enticed her, elated her even. Now Lucy felt nothing but hot sick boiling in her tummy as her eyes brimmed with tears from the sight and smell of it all. Lucy looked up and shivered, there was no hole, only a stone ceiling barring her from the outside world so far away. She had not fallen into some hole as she suspected, then how did she get in here?

The wet slap of flesh hitting stone made her turn and Lucy nearly fainted when she saw the fat, white slab of pulsating meat burst from the flayed entrails of an unfortunate man. The maggot was enormous, in sheer girth alone it rivaled the largest of pumpkins, its multitude of pointed legs waved about in the air as it writhed and pushed itself from its nest of flesh. The maggot's pin-point head undulated in the air, the two hooks the creature had for a face wriggled in place as the maggot slowly moved about, sweeping the room. Lucy kept her eyes focused on the unnatural horror in front of her, too terrified to breath much less move though she could hear similar noises all around her; the giant parasite's brethren had also stopped their gorging. The reason soon became all too clear as the maggot in front of her homed in on Lucy's direction, and with a horrible squelching noise popped free from the carcass and hit the ground with a heavy plop. It lay for a second or two before squealing and like some hideous inch worm started crawling its way towards Lucy, head bobbing eagerly as it zeroed in on the scent of fresh meat. Maggots were necrophagous by all accounts, but whatever loathsome transformation had befallen the wretches had also broadened their appetite. The scraps they subsided on were not enough, though they were deliciously rotten the tender entrails inside were withered and competition for what was left was fierce. That something fresh and intact should find its way to them was a rare treat indeed, and such a bounty was not to be squandered.

A shudder of pure revulsion worked its way down Lucy's spine and nestled somewhere deep in her bowels. As dark and dreary as she was there was something Lucy couldn't stand and that was maggots. Though they accompanied the dead there was nothing romantic about them like vampires or ghouls, they were fat, ugly parasites that gorged on rotting animal carcasses. Just the sight of them made her stomach turn, and that was just the small ones. These were bigger than her head, and they probably weighed more too. If just one of those things managed to grab her, why it could...

Lucy staggered to her feet and leveled her eyes down at the approaching beast, giggling to herself as its bloated, squishy body rolled over itself in its desperation to reach her. A strange calmness had overtaken her, and with it came an epiphany of sorts. This is where they came from, the skeletons. People dug up or murdered were dragged here and left to fester in the dark, the maggots would feed themselves on the necrosis and strip the flesh from their bones so the dark Three may bid them to rise. Yes, of course, it made perfect sense. What use would muscle, or skin have on the reanimated whose movements were preordained by the unnatural magics, such things essential to the living would only slow the unholy things down. Something must've found her then, passed out in the hall and mistaken for dead something dragged her back to the corpse pit and the hungry mouths that awaited therein. Was this to be her fate then, killed and devoured down here in hell, her corpse made to walk again after all that she used to be was stripped away by drooling, indifferent fangs?

Not if she could help it.

Lucy hefted her torch high above her head and slammed the sharp end of it deep into the maggot just as its bristling fangs hemmed the line of her skirt. The maggot shrieked and popped like a meaty balloon, pus squirted out in wide arcs as the pale flesh was ruptured; the disgusting creature chittered to itself as whatever passed for its life faded from its broken body. Lucy spat a ball of phlegm at the dead grub and focused on the fast-approaching swarm. She drew her makeshift weapon back and lunged with a snarl.

How quickly does the tide turn? How quickly can hopeless resignation to one's fate change in an instant, the natural drive to fight and live overcoming the senses as it pushes a body past its limits for just one more second to exist? Instinct and adrenaline coupled to birth sheer ruthless determination and Lucy was awash in a baptism of blood and rot, reborn into something beautiful and terrible as she reaped a bloody toll on her would-be executioners. The maggots weren't weak, their rubbery hides were too tough to smash with foot or fist though the blows would drive them back, but when pierced by the sharpened point of a stake they stood no chance. Still, they had numbers on their side, and each one of them outweighed Lucy by a fair margin, so no matter how hard she hit (and so far gone was she in her animalistic frenzy that she did not notice she was hitting a fair bit harder than a child should) there was another one there with fangs bared and knife-like legs ready to grab her legs and hold her down. Lucy fought with all the wild abandon of a caged panther, knowing the end was near but determined to take something down with her as she drove the pointed end of her torch into writhing maggots, or shoved the burning end into their faces. The sound their flesh made as they burned, their shrieks and the sizzling of their milky meat, made Lucy grin and she reveled in taking their lives.

As many as she killed another two took its place. They were everywhere, she was in their home, their feeding grounds, and she was outclassed. She could see them pulsating within the confines of their cadaverous hosts only to sense her presence and burst out from within in an explosion of bile and viscera. Distracted by one such display, and taking the moment to stab one of the maggots before it could dislodge itself, another maggot came up from behind and barreled into her leg. Lucy hit the ground with a wet smack and took some measure of joy in at least crushing the one that knocked her over. The feeling was short lived as another maggot squirmed over to her and sunk its diseased fangs into her leg. A pained howl tore its way from Lucy's mouth and she was only distantly surprised at how off her voice sounded, scratchy and wrong and it hurt, like something was still wrong with her throat from all the screaming and crying she had done. Survival takes precedence to curiosity and Lucy brought her other foot back and kicked at the maggot head again and again. The creature would not budge until Lucy's foot connected with a bulbous ball that she assumed was its eye and the offending organ exploded into jelly. The maggot screamed, a hideous almost human sound, and reared up, wiggling its legs and fangs around in pain. Lucy kicked out again and the bulbous parasite was sent backwards into three more of its fellows.

Lucy rolled away just as another maggot brought its fangs into the stone where her arm was seconds ago. Lucy grit her teeth and staggered to her feet, working through the pain just to try and hobble one step ahead of the maggots, torch held high over her head, so she could see the ones in front of her. The maggots sensed her weakness, whether they could feel the slowness of her movements of could smell the blood Lucy didn't know but the squirming multitude picked up the pace and like a tidal wave they poured after her, crushing corpses and rolling over each other to try and reach her. Lucy tried to scream but when all that came out was a ragged groan she decided now wasn't the time for that. Panting heavily, she tried to make her way to the other end of the kill room, stumbling over rotting carcasses and kicking out any offending grubs as the tried to latch onto her, all the while trying to outrun the horde quickly gaining on her heels. As she limped Lucy's meager torch finally illuminated what she had been hoping to find. A rotten, wooden door lay in front of her, half-open invitingly, tauntingly.

An escape!

With a peal of ragged laughter Lucy hobbled and limped her way towards the door, drunken on adrenaline, terror, and even a little hope as the door neared closer and the swarm behind her advanced. She could feel them, crawling down her back and into her skin and shearing her away with their fangs and pincer-like legs, the disgusting noises their fleshy bodies made as the rolled over each other, the hideous screeching that emanated from them and drowned out everything in Lucy's ears except for her heartbeat, pounding like a war-drum in her chest and reverberating in her muscles. Lucy bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood and ran, silently screaming through the pain as her abused, bleeding leg pounded her skull with agony enough to make her dizzy. She needed to get out, they were behind her, need to get out, they're on her back, need to get out, need to get out, need to get out-

"OH GOD, LET ME OUT!"

Lucy screamed and slammed into the wooden door, her lithe body smashed through the rotten timber and sent fragments of it sailing away and clattering into the darkness. Her torch also went flying from her hands, it hit the ground and rolled away leaving her at the edge of its light. Lucy hit the hard stone with thud and rolled herself, her poor leg cried out at the abuse and now her shoulder as well, a worrying crack heard as she hit the ground. Lucy tried to fight through the dizziness and lifted her head up, and what she saw caused a great toothy smile to break out across her face as she giggled.

The maggots had become stuck in the doorway, as the great wave tried to follow her through the door so great was their collective mass that most of them slammed into the walls on either side and the ones that were in front of the passage had become lodged along their fellows. The force of the impact had killed most of them it seemed; a pasty mash of pulped maggot, the smell alone was putrid. The few that weren't killed seemed injured, three maggots lay out in the open but seemed content to writhe in place and chitter rather than chase after the prey that outmaneuvered them.

Lucy giggled to herself and pulled her broken body up to its feet. The pain was so intense that it looped back around into a pleasant numbness that left her giddy and just a little woozy. Hobbling around she glanced every which way until she saw the torch lying a way over yonder and limped over to it. Still giggling Lucy bent over to pick up the torch, her tiny fingers just barely managing to wrap around the hefty wood.

A low growl in the dark froze her blood. Shaking like a leaf, a waterfall of sweat and tears pouring from her face, Lucy whimpered and slowly began to look up. The pale, pallid skin she saw first, stretched over a human's body but one far too large and heavily muscled. The arms were too long, the hands were massive paws that ended not with nails but tapered claws like a lion's. Lucy took a single step back and kept looking up, past the well-defined muscles, past the necklace of human skulls and finger bones, all the way up a skeletal face staring down at her with yellow lanterns for eyes.

Before Lucy could even scream the ghoul reached down and crushed her tiny body with one of its gore-encrusted hands.

* * *

"Something's wrong."

Lori and Luna both stopped in their tracks. A glance of confusion was shared between them before Luna looked back over her shoulder at Leni who had suddenly stopped walking.

"What d'ya mean, luv?" Luna called out. To her side she saw Lori give the ruins around them a suspicious once-over, hand resting on her mace and shield held at the ready. She couldn't blame Lori for being careful, but did she really have to look so enthusiastic about it...

"Somebody's in danger," Leni replied, shaking Luna from her reverie and catching Lori's attention. Leni walked up to her sisters and without a word pointed in front of them. The door to Hell lay open for them, an open archway in the side of a castle long since abandoned and consigned to molder beneath the Earth under the watchful, sightless eyes of its unholy guardians. Luna shivered and tried to swallow her rising fear. She hated this: hated this place, hated what was down there, but most of all she hated that she had to go back down there. Lori snorted and nodded to herself.

"All right girls, looks like this literally just became a rescue... mission?"

Lori stumbled a little on the delivery when Leni pushed past her and marched right up to the foreboding entrance. There was no need for speeches, she had already prayed earlier; and besides, the castle had already marked her as an enemy, and so had she likewise. She didn't know who was down there, or what they would find blocking their way, but what she did know was that they would regret doing that. They would regret getting in Leni's way.

"Don't worry," Leni whispered, not to herself but to whoever was down there waiting for her. She hefted her bible in one hand and with the other tore the mace from the holster at her hip. With one final defiant glare she marched into the darkness, leaving her sisters behind to sprint after her.

"Big sis is coming."

* * *

 **A/N: Well then, it would appear in the absence of one authority another should rise to take its place. Confusion and terror have sewn dissension among the ranks, and in the wake of it will what remains even partially resemble what came before? Does it even matter?**

 **And in the claws of the beast will there even be anything left of Lucy to save?**

 **As always comments and critiques are welcomed, let me know what you think or if you have any questions, and I'll see you all next time.**


	4. The Ritual

**A/N: Well now, back again? I'm glad, must mean this story is doing something for you! Or perhaps you're just a glutton for punishment? Either way, prepare yourself gentle reader for yet another serving of suffering at the hands of the Darkest Dungeon.**

 **Last time we were together the Loud children were preparing for another jaunt through The Ruins with the hopes of finding another lost sibling, little do they know that their poor sister Lucy has been caught in a web of horror and death the young goth had never before even imagined would be possible. Left to the tender mercies of one of this vile crypt's most monstrous of inhabitants does Lucy stand a snowball's chance in hell of escaping, or will her siblings merely find her scattered bones decorating the halls of this foreboding mausoleum of nightmares.**

 **Disclaimer: I own neither the Loud House nor Darkest Dungeon. Such materials are own by Chris Savino/Nickelodeon and Red Hook Studios respectively. This is merely a work of fiction for entertainment purposes only.**

* * *

In the darkness something stirred. Many somethings, old dead things shrouded in rot and rust. Bones dripping with moldy viscera, the barest scraps of flesh marring the gleaming white underneath. Bone that moved without muscle, that walked bidden by a force more powerful than death to rouse them from the final rest.

The skeletons moved with purpose, clumsy as they were. There wasn't a trace of individuality among them, each movement was ordained, overseen by a supreme will that guided and judged. The bones were mere vessels, conduits for a consciousness beyond the scope of any one-person and subject to an all-consuming hunger mysterious and terrible in its scope and methods.

"Are the preparations ready?"

" _Yessssss... everything goes... according to plan_."

In the center of what could only be surmised as a large octagonal shaped room, its sides lined with dilapidated shelves of decaying books and paintings, sat a stone table illuminated by the red glow of four torches. On two sides of this altar stood two very different figures, one clad in black and gold robes with the golden mask of a skull obscuring his face, and the other a figure cloaked in a dull red burial shroud that covered every inch of skin; or, rather, something else entirely.

A scrawny Cultist looked the Necromancer Apprentice in what he assumed to be his eyes past the blank canvass of darkness beneath the raised hood. He held this gaze for precisely three seconds before thinking better of it and looked away, coughing into his fist.

"Good, then the ritual goes as planned. Despite our little hiccup!" The cultist snarled this last word, venom directed largely towards the necromancer. If the walking carcass cared or even noticed it gave no sign.

 _"The child's escape... unforeseen. Nothing... we could do. Your cultists... are HIS now. Be content... we found her... at all."_

The cultist snorted and crossed his arms as he glared down at the skeletons milling about below him. The creatures stank of decay, this whole wretched place reeked of it. He didn't join the flesh cult because he wanted to waste his time underground in some forgotten castle, he wanted to pursue the darker arts, to revel in the pleasures of the flesh as his masters had promised. And he especially didn't want to be talking to the decrepit fiend next to him. It made his skin crawl, and he had seen what worship had done to some of his more... devout acquaintances.

"Right, no thanks to that ghoulish minion of yours. The dumb beast mangled her!"

The hooded figure lightly shuffled in what the cultist could only assume was acquiescence. Or maybe he was just stretching his legs. Did he have legs?

 _"Yesssss. An... unfortunate side-effect. I can keep her alive... in a fashion... prolong her suffering. Such is in... my power. But... not for long."_

The cultist nodded his head and chuckled. "Well, we don't exactly need her alive for much longer. Just long enough for the ritual." The skull-clad man practically salivated as he imagined it, a live human sacrifice for the Darkness, surely such a thing would get him noticed. He was glad that the Collector had come a-calling when it did, taking out the competition like that. And how fortuitous that the necromancer didn't notice (or care) whose plan this was, it made things so much easier for him to slip in.

Something growled in the darkness, beyond the glow of the torches. The dull thuds of heavy footfall echoed in the underground. Despite himself, the cultist couldn't help but take a step back when the Ghoul emerged from the gloom, its massive body illuminated by the torchlight. It cast a morbid glow about the monster's gore-encrusted frame and the cultist choked back a gasp as it approached with its yellow eyes focused squarely on him. Drool poured out of the monster's fanged maw as it reached a claw out for the cultist, but just as the man felt he should run the necromancer apprentice held out a bony hand (its skin so thin as to be translucent) and the creature immediately halted.

 _"Place the body."_

A low groan rumbled from the Ghoul's throat, but the creature did as it was bidden. It held out its other hand and unceremoniously dropped a listless, tiny body onto the altar where it lay in a broken heap. The necromancer grunted and walked over to the tiny thing, pausing only slightly as it regarded her pained gasps. An involuntary shudder crawled unseen up its back. It was disgusting: its flesh, the way it breathed, the blood that trickled from its eye sockets and mouth. Disgusting! Still, the cultist said it had to be alive for his sacrifice, and though the necromancer's power lay in the realm of death and thus couldn't heal the damage it could stave off the inevitable for a short time.

A low chanting in a voice as cold and unrelenting as the grave filled the room as the necromancer waved its hands over the child's prone body and a dark-green smoke seemed to emanate from its hands as it traced arcane symbols in the air above her. This continued for a solid minute and just when the cultist was beginning the think the damage had been too severe the tiny body suddenly lurched and gasped.

Lucy Loud sucked in a slow, ragged breath of air and wheezed in pain as her crushed lungs deflated. It hurt, everything hurt, existence was pain and though she had said it so many times for the first time Lucy genuinely wished for death to claim her. Anything to end the pain. Lucy felt something looming above her, running bony talons across her body as gentle as mommy's bedtime kisses but not nearly as warm or loving. There was an undercurrent of malice to the motions, an unnatural feeling to it that made her hair stand on end and filled her with bone-chilling dread. Lucy tried to crawl away and immediately regretted it as a fresh spasm of pain sucked the air out of her in a strangled gasp as her vision swam. It wasn't so much that something was broken as it was everything was broken, and she lay still has the necromancer above her redoubled its efforts.

The cultist grinned under his skull mask and rubbed his hands together. This was fantastic, she was still alive, and it wasn't like they needed her intact. In fact, this was preferable, she couldn't run away now. All they needed now was a few more ingredients which the others should be back with soon and then they'd be able to enact the ritual. Everything was going perfectly, surely his faith would be rewarded today.

The cultist walked around the altar (skirting around the Ghoul as it eyed him hungrily) and made his way over to the girl's upturned face. She was a pretty thing, now that he got a good look at her. It was almost a shame she'd have to die. Still, the rewards he would soon receive would render any other Earthly pleasures a mere pittance in comparison. A cruel smile scrawled across his face as Lucy's face turned over to him and her eyes grew wide, her mouth gaped in a near-silent wheezing scream.

He didn't realize she was looking past him, up at the ceiling. A thousand eyes blinked back at her, silently regarding her, watching and waiting.

But most of all planning.

* * *

"Hello darkness my old friend~"

"Luna, I swear to God!"

"What! It's a good song!"

Leni sighed as her sisters argued behind her, pinching her forehead with her free hand as the other waved a torch in front of her. The respite its glow provided from the oppressive darkness was brief but comforting all the same, plus any guarded protection it offered from potential monsters and traps in the black was well-appreciated.

The same could not be said of Lori and Luna's constant bickering. Sisters fought, Leni knew this, she herself had participated on more than a few occasions much to her shame and embarrassment. It was only natural, when you love someone and know them as well as sisters do then you know how to hurt them. You feel bad after of course, but Leni had learned that sometimes saying sorry doesn't always make everything okay.

That's what was happening now with Lori and Luna. The two sisters weren't especially close, especially after Luna attended her first concert and 'found herself' as she put it and started annoying Lori with her music, but they were at least cordial with each other. Ever since they came to Great Pop-Pop's town though? Been at each other's heels 24/7 and it was driving her nuts!

Frankly it was part of the reason Leni had chosen the position as point man, if she was up front then she wouldn't have to listen to the constant bickering. Well, she could still hear them, but at least she wouldn't have to take any sides. That was the worst, when Luna said something mean and wanted Leni to back her up, or when Lori tried to deny it and needed someone to take her side and they just stared at her and it was all Leni could do to keep her head down and eyes shut and just keep walking like she didn't hear them. It made her head hurt but made her chest hurt more and she wished the two would just make up already.

Of course, those weren't the only reasons she stayed up front. That feeling she had earlier at the mouth of the abyss hadn't abated. On the contrary, the further she descended the surer she was that somebody was waiting for her, calling out to her. A feeling in her gut, as prosaic as it sounded, that she was needed. That Lola had been found earlier in these very ruins sealed the deal in Leni's mind, she was sure another one of her baby sisters was down here and she wasn't stopping until they were back with her where they belonged.

Leni briefly paused and scrunched up her face in deep contemplation. What if it was Lincoln down here? She thought for a few seconds, blinked, and then her face set into an expression of grim resolution. She'd save him too! She'd save all of them!

Giving the all-pervading blackness around her the fiercest scowl she could muster Leni set off once again, leaving her dumbstruck sisters behind her. Luna and Lori shared a quick look of bewilderment before settling on confusion and irritation respectively. There was no real point in telling Leni she had just said all of that out loud, might as well let her have her fun and keep on marching.

 _Besides, she isn't wrong,_ Lori thought to herself. _There's probably another one us down here. And if it's Lincoln it's not like we'd leave him behind. Assuming the skeletons hadn't caught them yet._

Lori's eyes went wide, and she shook the thought from her head. She couldn't think like that, it would kill her.

 _Survival is a tenuous proposition in this sprawling tomb._

"And he's not helping."

"Who?"

Lori froze. Unthinking and unblinking she slowly turned her head over to Luna who had dropped all pretensions of this charade an was glaring at her with open suspicion. Lori, wide-eyed like a deer caught in a truck's headlights, gulped as a crooked grin scrawled across her face.

"I-I don't know what you're-

"Cut the crap," Luna snapped, and Lori flinched despite herself. "This is the second time I've heard you say something like this, talking to yourself like you're having a conversation. I heard you say that out loud just now, don't lie to me." Luna took a step forward and Lori took one back as the sisters reached a stand-off; one of them angry and confused as fear mixed with concern and the other terrified out of her mind as her eyes tried to find something, anything other than her little sister's face.

"Is there something you have to tell me Lori?" Luna asked. Lori whimpered when she heard her sister's voice, pleading and desolate, knowing something was wrong but unsure how to deal with it. "You need to tell me, I won't get mad. We can help you," Luna said and suddenly in Lori's eyes she was a little girl again, shy and demure and unsure of her place in the world.

Lori licked her dry lips and tried to say something but all that came out was a harsh croak. She couldn't find the words to say anything, to talk would be to cast off the shell of authority she had spent years cultivating. To admit this would be to admit weakness and fear, to forsake the illusion of self-assurance and what little standing she still possessed as a role model, as someone the others needed to rely on. Lori told herself that this was why she had to lie; as the oldest sister she had to bear the brunt of this nightmare if it meant saving even one of her sisters. But she knew the truth, Lori knew if she said anything it would kill her.

Lori's mouth opened, and a scream echoed in the darkness.

Two sets of brows knit together in confusion as Lori and Luna stared at each other before realization dawned on them both and they raced off down the dimly-lit halls past rows of smoldering torches and blackened doorways. Their destination wasn't far off, a large room that might've been a dining room in ages past but was now devoid of furniture and guests, dominated by cobwebs and a thick layer of dust.

In the center of this room, the embers still burning brightly, lay a torch.

"Leni!" Lori screamed, and Luna's trembling cry soon joined her as the two sisters called out for their lost sibling. Their calls echoed in the black as they whipped their heads around, eyes scanning every inch of the small room. Terror welled up in Lori's breast, her heart beating a frantic pace as her chest tightened. Lori was acquainted with fear, in the last few days she had felt it more than she had ever prior in her entire life, but the terror was always fresh when the danger came; and now one of her own sisters had vanished in the span of a few seconds.

A sharp gasp to her right caught Lori's attention and she spun around to see Luna holding her hands up to her mouth, a mouth split in a wide grin as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. Lori followed Luna's gaze and was relieved to see Leni huddled up in one of the far corners of the room just beyond the glow of the torch, her knees up to her chest and her hands over her face. Lori began to walk towards her sister but only made it halfway when Leni's face shot up and she stopped short.

A shiver ran down Lori's spine when she saw her sister's face, wide eyes brimming with tears, her mouth set in a grimace of absolute terror.

"LORI RUN!"

Lori had precisely five-and-a-half seconds to process Leni's warning before a sudden weight on her back knocked the air out of her lungs and forced her to the ground. Dazed from the impact, Lori couldn't muster the strength to knock loose the offending weight. Dimly, she could hear her sisters call out from her as whatever was on her back grabbed her left arm and hauled it up.

The searing pain shooting through her shoulder brought her around rather nicely. Howling in pain Lori swung her fist around and winced as her hand cracked against something hard but not at all metallic. Lori looked over her shoulder and screamed when she saw six red eyes staring back at her above a pair of mandibles embedded deeply in her shoulder.

Green ichor sprayed into Lori's face as the giant spider's head was split nearly in half by the force of Luna's swing, her sword hacking through the arachnid's exoskeleton. The creature immediately let go of Lori and screeched, turning around to fasten its appendages into this new foe even with its own brains (or whatever spiders have, Lori thought) leaking out. With a savage growl Luna kicked out and struck the loathsome beast in the abdomen with her boot, there was an unwholesome crunch as a leg was shattered and the thing went flying a good three feet where it landed on its back.

Lori chewed her lip as she struggled to her feet, fighting through the pain as she observed this new threat. The spider was enormous, at least the size of a large dog. Lori took it all in: its bulbous red/black abdomen, its legs scything through the air as it struggled to right itself, the mandibles pinching the air as it chittered. Lori grimaced as she looked at it, unlike her younger sister Leni Lori thought spiders were cute, but this creature could hardly be called a spider. Swollen to unnatural proportions by the corruption of the land, a clear symbol of all that was wrong with this world, hideous in every aspect.

The creature continued to chirp to itself as the legs weakly struggled. It didn't have the energy to right itself, that it was still alive surprised Lori for a moment. Damn thing probably can't even fell pain, she thought. Pain receptors or not, it was obvious the spider was dying, and slowly the legs stopped flailing and the arachnid stopped chirping. The legs folded in on themselves over the torso as a sort of rigor mortis set in and Lori sighed in relief.

 _A trifling victory, but a victory nonetheless._

Lori snorted and looked back over to her little sister still huddled up in the corner. Leni had severe arachnophobia as it was, make the spiders the size of a retriever and there's no telling how she was coping with it. Judging by the way she held onto herself and whispered as she rocked on her toes, not very well. Clutching at her bleeding shoulder Lori took three steps in Leni's direction when a clammy hand wrapped tight around her arm. Lori looked over her shoulder and saw Luna reaching out to her, wide eyes focused squarely on the ceiling. Confused, Lori followed her sisters gaze and squinted into the darkness just out of range from the light of the torch still burning on the ground.

Lori quickly realized the spider had not been chittering to itself earlier.

Their descent was silent, their legs made no noise as they unfurled strands of web from their abdomens nor did they chirp to each other as the dying one had. Were they attempting to ambush the girls, or did they lack such methods of strategy and simply had no need to make noise? The question went unanswered, next to her Lori could see Luna unholster her pistol and point it up to the descending arachnids. There was a sound of thunder and a chunk of abdomen from one the spiders exploded in a torrent of green flesh and blue blood.

As their comrade fell to the ground with a meaty smack the other two hastened their descent, such was their speed that they had made it to the ground before Luna could reload her gun. They spared not a glance for their fallen comrade skittering about outside of sight, their focus was entirely on the formidable prey that had wandered into their nest.

Lori spared a quick glance and noticed that of the two left one was quite different from the other. It shared the same general body shape certainly, but where the other had a reddish-orange color like the first spider this one was green. A cluster of spines lined the side of its abdomen and instead of red mandibles it possessed long, green fangs. Lori noticed that when the neon-green drool dripping from the fangs hit the ground it sizzled; poison, she made a mental note to avoid it.

As it was the exhortation proved reasonable as the green spider reared back on its hind four legs and angled its fangs up and outwards. Lori had never considered herself an authority on arachnology, such fields would pertain more to Lana's interests, but she'd seen enough videos on the internet to know this was bad and reacted accordingly by bringing her shield up. She couldn't see what exactly happened next, but she felt the weight of something viscous and warm hitting her shield and more importantly heard the was it sizzled as the green liquid slid down the battered iron aegis and hit the stone at her feet.

 _Right_ , Lori thought to herself, eyeing the hissing arachnid as she shook the acidic venom off her shield. _Don't let that stuff get on you. Or in the eyes for that matter, that thing was literally aiming for my head!_ She didn't fancy the thought of that one bit and glared at the scuttling horror.

To her left Luna was currently facing a similar problem of an altogether different caliber. The red spider didn't seem as dangerous as its venomous counterpart at first glance, the shearing mandibles and comparatively well-armored forelegs gave the impression of a more physically robust specimen, but it lacked the long-range capabilities of its companion. Luna snickered to herself and raised her gun, if the spider wanted to get in close range that was its business, but she wasn't about to entertain the notion so long as she was armed.

Unfortunately for Luna the spider quite frankly didn't give a damn for whatever notions of combat she was predisposed towards and made its stance quite clear by ducking low to the ground and angling its abdomen over its body, pointing the tapered tip towards the perplexed youth. Confusion quickly blossomed into horror as the spider began to vibrate and realization dawned a fraction too late as strands of webbing, no thicker but somehow much stronger than a normal spider's webbing, shot out of the spider's protruding hindquarters like a sprinkler, dousing Luna in a sticky and altogether unwholesome mess of cobwebs that covered her from chest to toes. That her head hadn't been caught in the assault was a miracle on two fronts, for one it would've made breathing all but impossible, and furthermore it left her capable of crying out to her sister who spun around immediately.

But Lori had her own problems to deal with and a sudden searing pain in her arm brought her back to reality. Shrieking and swearing like a sailor Lori waved her arm around until she was sure the venom that had struck her was flung off and brought her arm up to inspect the damage. The acidic venom had eaten its way through the cloth just below the pauldron and her right forearm was completely red from where the venom had struck her, even as she looked at it she could see blisters bubbling up and marring her flesh. The pain was intense, the itching was worse; it was more than irritation, like an all-consuming need to scratch and tear at the blighted skin. Lori grit her teeth and sucked in a breath, trying her best to drown out the vile thoughts. It must've been the venom, whatever the blighted substance was it not only burned but provoked intense feelings of discomfort, enough to drive their prey to invoke self-harm just to find relief.

A disgusting tactic, but effective. Lori swallowed the pain and growled at the hissing arachnid, slamming her mace into her shield, catching the attention of not only her spider but the red one slowly advancing on her downed sister. Without skipping a beat Lori stalked over to Luna and stood over her, guarding her sibling with all the ferocity of a mother bear as she stared down the slowly approaching spiders. If the creatures were even capable of feeling fear they certainly didn't show it, it must be that they were hard pressed enough for food down here that they were willing to brave such dangerous odds and attack well-armed prey. That or they were just murderous, considering everything else she'd seen so far Lori didn't discount that.

As if sensing her distress at the situation the third spider that Luna had shot earlier skittered out from the darkness, crawling on three broken legs and bleeding neon-blue blood from the open hole in its deflated green abdomen. If the other spiders seemed crabby this one was downright irascible. Lori supposed having your guts blown out might have that effect on folks but most usually had the good sense to die afterwards, this guy didn't get the memo.

Hissing like a broken boiler pipe the dog-sized arachnid shoved aside not only the other green spider who seemed content to hang back but also the web-spitting red one who chittered in what Lori thought to be surprise as the weakened creature rushed her with fangs bared. Lori had only just enough time to bring up her shield as the venom was shot at her face, but much to her dismay a scream caught her attention. Realization that Luna was still under her struck her like a ton of bricks and she looked down to see the venom that had rebounded from her shield had fallen on the teen and was eating its way through the webbing, and if Lori wasn't quick enough the rest of her too.

The instinctual reflex to help her sibling clouded her senses and Lori bent over to try and wipe the acid off, and action she all too quickly realized was foolish when approximately 30Ib of spider slammed into her. Fueled by suicidal desperation the spider had decided to throw caution to the wind, if it couldn't poison her from a safe distance then it would have to do it manually. A risky application, but the reward was too great to ignore and despite her larger size and weight Lori felt herself begin to topple as she backed up, her hands fiercely fending off the incensed arachnid. Lori knew that if she fell now it would all be over quickly, the others would swarm and that'd be that. A niggling worry in the back of her mind reminded her that Luna was in the same precarious position, but Lori was a little preoccupied with the giant spider trying to eat her face. Its weight was more than enough to almost bring her down, but her real concern was trying to fend off the rending venomous fangs as Lori poured every ounce of her strength into her arms.

There was a sound of thunder and the weight on Lori's head had significantly decreased as the spider chittered softly, and its legs released their hold on the back of her head. With a grunt Lori threw what was left of the offending arachnid to the floor and was somewhat pleased to see the entirety of its abdomen had popped. She was only somewhat pleased because that meant she was currently drenched in giblets of green spider guts and thick blue blood that covered her entire upper body. Thank God her mouth as closed!

A triumphant cackle below her brought Lori's attention to her semi-downed sister. It appeared that the venom she had brushed off onto Luna earlier had done its work, eating away at the webbing that covered her upper body. Thankfully whatever venom these spiders produced wasn't strong enough to eat through both the web and Luna's leather armor, and the young girl was free to pull out her gun. Luna's laugh was uproarious in a way only the desperate and unhinged can truly appreciate, though it ended in an odd choking gurgle when she saw Lori's face.

"C-c'mon sis," Luna chuckled nervously, wincing when she saw Lori's glare deepen. Worry turned to genuine fear as the older girl ran towards her and Luna struggled to rip off the webbing still stuck to her. "Jesus Christ luv I was just trying to-

Lori's leather boot sailed just over Luna's screaming face and collided with something heavy, blue goblets of liquid splashed Luna's face and the younger girl sputtered. The red spider that had tried to make a meal out of the trapped teen sailed away from the force of Lori's kick, screaming in a high-pitched whine and trailing blue blood in wide arcs through the air. The creature landed with a thud and squirmed, trying to right itself from off its back.

With one threat dealt with Lori brought up her shield and smirked as she felt the heavy slop of the spider's venom strike the iron. She was getting better at that, if you asked her a few days ago what that meant she'd be worried but now she was more relieved. Also, the acid didn't seem strong enough to damage metal only flesh and other thin coverings, so she had that at least.

With a snarl Lori banged her mace against her shield twice and marched towards the hissing green spider, who at the moment wasn't feeling nearly as brave as its more suicidal brother and was skittering backwards on its eight legs. Lori's approach was swift and without mercy, her face a mask of fury as she ran towards the spider and raised her mace up high above her head and screamed.

Her war cry was cut short with a gasp as Lori jerked forward and nearly fell over. Something had happened to her leg mid-stride, and Lori groaned when she turned around to see that her left foot was now encased in webbing. Lori gave the chittering "Webber" off in the corner of the room a withering glare before turning her attention back to the now ominously approaching "Spitter". Perhaps there was some intelligence in whatever passed for a spider's brain, perhaps it was capable of learning, of registering the fact that Lori was more than capable of blocking its attempts to envenom her from a distance with her shield. No, a more direct approach was necessary for such versatile prey, and a shiver ran down Lori's spine as the spider scuttled towards her, its green fangs raised and poised to strike.

A high-pitched shriek pierced the air, a caterwaul of epic proportions enough to make both Lori and the spider flinch and stop dead. For the spider this prove a calamitous mistake as this put it directly in the path of one Leni Loud. Leni had acute arachnophobia, Leni also possessed powerful protective instincts, in the event that the one was currently infringing on the harmony of the other the effect was apparently pure, unrelenting rage. The result was spectacular as Leni, screeching like a banshee out of hell (all the more ironic considering her habit) fell upon the spider in a barrage of curses which must have hurt only marginally less than the savage clubbing that immediately followed. As the swearing teen worked the Spitter into a fine paste the Webber off in the corner had finally managed to right itself onto its feet and hissed, no doubt ready for action. With a wet smack Lori's mace struck the arachnid in the abdomen and instantly pulverized its organs into mush.

Lori snorted to herself as she watched the last spider unceremoniously expire. 'Well that was a bit anti-climactic,' she thought to herself and huffed.

 _A decisive pummelling!_

 _Thanks, Great Pop-Pop._

Lori tugged at her foot and groaned when she realized she was stuck. This webbing didn't look thick but it sure was, she might as well be tied with a rope. Lori considered trying to rip it but then her fingers would just get stuck, and if she tried to kick she'd probably just break her ankle. Lori heard Luna trying to break out from her prison behind her and she turned her head towards Leni who was still trying to paint the room a nice aquamarine.

 _Wait, of course!_

"Leni!"

"Die, die, die, die, die!"

"Leni?"

"DIE YOU UGLY, GROSS, STUPID SPIDER!"

"QUIT IT YOU LITTLE SPAZ!"

"Huh?"

Leni turned to Lori and the older girl flinched a little when she saw that Leni's face and upper body was painted a nice neon-blue.

Lori cleared her throat and gestured over to the one green spider that wasn't a smear on the ground. Leni looked over to it, seemed confused, then suddenly blinked and looked back over to Lori with a grin and a conspiratorial wink. Lori smiled and nodded, her heart swelling up with pride as Leni walked over to the dead spider. Everyone thought Leni was dumb, that she couldn't learn, that she couldn't function without people telling her what to do; but Lori never gave up on her little sister, she was there for her from the very beginning and she knew that with love and patience– why the hell is she holding up her cudgel?

"LENI STOP!" Lori and Luna's cries echoed through the empty room and the second oldest Loud child halted dead in her tracks, her beating stick held high. She looked back at her exacerbated sisters, confusion clear on her face.

"I didn't mean squish it! Bring it over here, we need the venom to melt these webs off!"

Leni blinked two more times before her face went red and she gave a sheepish giggle. After a quick sorry, about three minutes of psyching herself up, and another five to actually manage to drag the spider over with plenty of screaming breaks in between, Leni finally brought the corpse over to Lori who by this time had retracted the nice speech she had planned for Leni. It was a good one too, all about how proud she was of her for facing her fears and all that crud.

Lori snatched the corpse away from her younger sister and ripped a leg off, ignoring the squeak of disgust Leni made. She jabbed the spider leg into the abdomen and waited until she heard a tell-tale sizzle before pulling the appendage out and dragging the dripping limb down the webbing. The acidic venom did its job and the webbing fell away, a messy and somewhat dangerous application but it certainly beat trying to rip it off yourself. After melting off the last traces of web Lori looked over to her downed sister and gave the trapped teen a sardonic grin.

Luna gulped and gave her a nervous grin. "Just mind the hair, eh luv? Eh? Lori that's not funny!"

"Oh, stop it I'm not going to hurt you."

"Just watch the hair!"

"It's not like you have much anyway."

"YOU WOT MATE!"

"There," Lori chirped as the last strands of webbing were melted away. She double checked Luna to make sure no venom got on her skin and grinned as the grumbling girl sat up. Luna brushed herself off and reached for Lori's arm to pull herself up, falling back with a gasp when Lori doubled over with a yelp.

Immediately Leni was at her sister's side as the two fussed over their oldest sibling. The problem was immediately noticed and both Leni and Luna shrank back in disgust and worry when they saw what the venom had done to Lori's arm. The skin looked like raw hamburger meat, red and puffy with some obvious scaring, it didn't seem like the wound was getting any worse nor did the flesh look necrotic, it must've hurt like a bitch though and Lori sucked on her bottom lip as Leni gingerly took her arm. Leni flashed her big sister a weak grin and kissed the burn. With smooch administered Leni brought out her bible and opened it, a serene smile on her face as she looked down at the pages and began chanting.

"No."

Leni's recital was cut short with an unceremonious gag as Lori shook both her sisters off and stood up. Ignoring her younger sister's confused glares, she walked over to the dead Webber in the corner and wrenched her mace out of its remains with a pulpy squelch. Holstering the gore-encrusted weapon to her side she marched to the center of the room and picked up the now dim torch lying on the ground. In the fading light she flashed her sisters what she thought was a reassuring smile and nodded.

"I'm fine Leni, I'll literally bandage myself up when we get out of here. Let's get going, we'll save your magic trick for something worthwhile."

Lori turned on her heels and slowly marched her way out of the room. Sharing one last glance with her sister Luna took after Lori, leaving Leni behind to ponder her sister's words.

"But... aren't you worth it?"

* * *

The Caretaker hummed a mirthful dirge as he skipped down the halls of the effervescent and not at all woebegone Ancestor's manor, a symbol of opulence and self-indulgence if there ever was one, just mind the smell. He paused by a shattered stained-glass window and studied it for a few seconds before bursting out in a maniacal cackle that lasted well over a minute before that too suddenly stopped and he continued on his way.

Some think he might be crazy, well they're wrong. He was mad.

Giggling at some unseen joke the Caretaker examined every inch of the halls. Rats the size of cats scurried out of his path, shards of glass littered the ground, and portraits of ancient men and women, their faces stern and unbecoming, glared down at him. The Caretaker frowned and rubbed his chin, perhaps things could do with a cleaning up around here. His smile suddenly grew, stretching the leathery, pale-yellow flesh so the skin threatened to tear as tears ran down his eyes.

Before he had no reason to clean, no reason to care, no reason to leave his damp, safe closet where the bad things can't find him. Before he had the master, but that was so long ago now, and he was different then. The master was different too, then he changed, he became cruel and harsh, his experiments began to consume him. He can still hear the screams sometimes, echoing in his skull and throughout the halls at night. And then he opened the basement, then he began to dig, then he found-

Suddenly the Caretaker fell to floor, his skeletal frame thrashing and kicking as ragged screams tore from his throat. A great quantity of blood and foam frothed up from his mouth and joined the growing puddle of urine on the floor around him as he spasmed and moaned. His eyes rolled back in his head, but he could still see, he couldn't stop, he would always see, he would never forget IT.

Just as quickly as they started the convulsions stopped and the Caretaker got to his feet and brushed the dust and piss from his tattered robes. If he was even aware of what happened he didn't show it, and he continued on his merry path with the same repulsive rictus he was known for.

-what he found didn't matter. All that matters now was that the manor was inhabited again. The family continues, the aristocracy has once again asserted itself, and the Caretaker had purpose again.

And it was all thanks to those adorable little creatures. What did people call them again? Ah yes! Children. Marvelous invention really, achieving immortality through genetics instead of the old fashion way via profane experimentation and human sacrifice. And what delightful little monstrosities they were, ripe young minds unaccustomed to horror and pain, they had yet to truly live, to taste existence. Not to worry though, the Caretaker was sure they were quick learners. The oldest was a bit of a pain and the boy with the scratchy voice had a terrible accent, but the second oldest was a treasure. He had made sure to return straight home and deposit her little present in an empty room and even went the extra mile of setting it up for habitation. It felt so good to be useful again, and he had a good feeling their little family was going to get bigger.

The Ancestor was always... prolific.

A sudden movement in the corner of his eyes caught the Caretaker's attention and the guise of bumbling inefficiency faded in the blink of an eye, replaced by something feral and so much stronger than the old man's bony frame belied. His mouth tore at the fringes and erupted into a maw of bristling fangs as he turned and snarled at his follower.

Lola Loud, outfitted in a tiny pink sleeping gown, looked up at him with wide eyes and a small frown.

"Hark, a vagrant!" The Caretaker cried out, already recovered from his episode. He peered down at the small child and tapped the side of his head. No, not a vagrant, the girls had brought this one back with them yesterday. He gasped and drew back as if he had stumbled upon a viper. "Are you a circus midget?" he hissed, backing up in case she had a pie on her.

Lola Loud said not a word, the only sound that could be heard from her were her slow, shallow breaths as she looked up at the Caretaker with unblinking eyes. Heavy, dark bags hung under her eyes and the usual makeup that adorned the child star's face was missing, obviously the little beauty queen had seen better days.

The Caretaker fidgeted in place, his eyes looking every which way so long as it wasn't down at the child. He wasn't used to people staring at him, in fact most made it their sole mission in life to avoid ever setting eyes on him claiming he was repulsive in every sense of the word.

"Go away," he stated quite bluntly, waving her off with one hand.

Lola didn't move, nor did she take her eyes off him. The Caretaker whimpered under her unrelenting assault and slowly backed up until his back hit a wall. He moaned in horror as the child took two steps forward for each one he took back. As Lola approached the dejected lunatic sank to the ground and huddled up under his stained robes, wailing with wanton abandon.

"Lola?"

Lola slowly turned her head and looked at Lisa who herself wasn't sure if she should be trying to help her sister or the Caretaker who seemed to have degenerated into hysterics. Eventually though, familial obligation won out over the chance to study this unique psychological phenomenon up close and with a sigh Lisa walked over to her older sister and took her hand, leading her away from the scene.

"Now Lola," Lisa started, "you can't jusht run off like that. I'm not shure if you've notished but we're not exshactly home anymore. You need to shtay with me, okay?" Lisa looked up at her sibling and in spite of herself just the barest fragments of hope managed to creep into her voice at the end.

The outcome was as she predicted however. Lola said nothing, nor did she give any sign of having heard Lisa's speech, her eyes unfocused and gazing off into the distance with that same wide-eyed look of vague horror that she had worn all day yesterday and today. It seemed though that one aspect had changed, since she had been pried off Luna when she had to leave for her mission the young girl had seemed to get over her clinginess. Lisa soon realized it was a curse in disguise when she looked up to see Lola had disappeared and she raced through the manor looking for her.

Lisa pushed her glasses up and straightened out the hem of plague doctor's robes with a sigh. She should have known better, Lola wasn't like her, despite her maturity for her age she was still a six-year-old and was not capable of handling the terrifying nature of their situation. Lisa shuddered as she imagined what it was like for her, down there in the Ruins, in the darkness for a whole day, surrounded by the dead and dying with not a soul to comfort or protect you.

Lisa stifled a whimper as she flashed a quick glance up to her sister. It would be a miracle if Lola ever came back to them.

Lisa led her sister through the winding halls of the dilapidated manor. As they meandered Lisa took stock of the broken windows, the cracked walls, basically every little thing wrong with the place and mentally calculated the approximate costs (both monetary and in man power) it would take to fix the place up. Quite frankly it was a dump, and though it was hopefully only temporary it would not behoove her or her siblings to inhabit such abysmal quarters.

And on the subject of cleaning, there was the Hamlet as well. As the, ahem, "Ladies" of the land it fell to them not only to ensure the prosperity of said property but also the well-being of those that dwelled there, and in return they were to receive taxes from the inhabitants for their services. The place was a hell-hole, a rat trap of poverty and disease. There was a sickness in this land and it had infected the people as well; hopelessness abounded, and the air was heavy with the stink of despair and rot. It had to be fixed, but that cost money, luckily it seemed that the dungeons the girls explored held great stores of wealth within them. Perhaps they could gather a group of townsfolk to pillage the Ruins and surrounding lands to fill their coffers, after they cleared out the skeletons, bandits and cultists of course.

Lisa couldn't help but giggle as the situation seemed to catch up with her. She was taking this all rather well, though she wasn't sure if that was a mark of maturity, denial, or insanity. Transporting to some another dimension, interacting with honest-to-God demonic cults and walking skeletons, she could've died yesterday! And yet, what a rush it was being out there in the field. Lisa had always taken a more practical approach to her scientific practices but there was certainly something to be said for a little fieldwork.

Lisa pushed her excitement down and focused on the larger issue at hand. The town had to be fixed, money had to be gathered but that was for the town. She didn't know why exactly, oh sure she could rationalize it every which way why it was a good idea, but when it came down to it she didn't know why. It was a simple fact, as simple as proteins being composed of the amino acids in a polypeptide chain that are linked by peptide bonds, the town had to be fixed, the land had to be cleansed. This place had to be repaired and mended. Maybe then they could go home.

Lisa dragged her listless sister into the library with a small frown on her face as she listed off a mental checklist. The physical one that had been given to them by the Caretaker had been… less than satisfactory. It had about three things written on it: 1. Go to the Ruins, 2. Fight the Necromancer's Apprentice, and 3. Save the day! He had written it in what looked to be crayon, though where exactly he got it was beyond her. Such as it was the list was in obvious need of expansion, and luckily that's where her talents came in handy. Strategy was a desideratum, if they had any chance of going home then she'd need to handle things.

Lisa cast a quick glance over to Lola and sighed in relief when she saw the older girl hadn't wandered off this time. Her older sibling's condition put a hamper on things, but only slightly. It wasn't like she would be able to wander about the town on her own, she wouldn't dare risk such a venture without adult supervision, so she couldn't go around asking villagers what services and districts required immediate aid.

Lisa looked around the library and grinned. That's, hopefully, where all this could come in handy. Yesterday the tomes proved fruitless when it came to any actual knowledge on their whereabouts and how they got here, but hopefully the shelves would hold other important matter. Deeds, family history, bills, names and businesses; with the right information she could start making headway on what needs to be fixed and what people she will need to meet. Repairing a settlement wasn't as simple as going into a dungeon, taking some gold, and fixing up a house or two; if this was going to happen then she'd need to go about this with tact and savoir faire.

Lisa toddled over to a desk in the corner of the library covered in scrolls and books and papers as large as she was, pages decorated with elegant penmanship all in ink. Returning to her pile Lisa crawled up the chair, rubbed her little hands together with a crooked smile, flashed a glare over to Lola to make sure she hadn't wandered off again, and settled into her chair.

Time to get to work.

* * *

The din of battle pealed through the air, ringing the ears as blood hammered in the skull like a drumbeat in time to an ancient song of survival.

For Lori it was more than survival, it was life, and she reveled in it with a savage howl as she swung her mace in a wide arch, crushing the skull of the walking skeleton. Fragments of bone went flying and whatever unholy forces that kept the dead thing together were snuffed out as the skeleton collapsed in on itself, clattering to the floor in a broken pile as the ding from its rusted sword hit the stone.

Lori snarled at another skeleton that quickly took its fallen comrades place, but the dead paid her no mind as it raised its own sword above its head and brought it down with a heavy clang on Lori's shield. The young woman's muscles cried out in protest, but she pushed the pain down into her stomach and shoved back, throwing the skeleton off balance and back into another skeleton approaching from behind. The two crashed against each other and clattered to the ground in a pile of limbs and Lori took the precious few seconds afforded her to back up and catch her breath. The respite was brief, though one still lingered on the ground the skeleton soldier that had been pushed was already getting up to its feet and Lori shivered when its empty eye sockets focused on her.

A sudden movement in the corner of her eye caught Lori's attention and she turned and jumped when the barrel of a pistol greeted her.

"Cover your ears luv!"

Lori followed Luna's advice and did herself another favor by crouching down to the ground. It was times like these Lori was almost amused how different the sound of a gun is in real life compared to the movies. She was mostly annoyed though, and quite frankly wondered if covering her ears even helped because no matter how hard she pressed her head still rang whenever the damn thing went off. How the hell was Luna not deaf yet? As if her music wasn't bad enough.

Shaking the spots out of her eyes Lori hauled herself up on quivering legs and hefted her mace over her shoulder. It didn't take a genius to note that for all their uses guns were not the best weapon to take to a skeleton fight, probably because they couldn't bleed to death. Still, at close range the pistol could deal adequate damage, but Lori made a quick mental note to tell Luna to start pulling her weight with the sword instead of hanging at the back.

Pieces of rib exploded out from the 'wounded' skeleton and it staggered from the sheer force of the impact. It wasn't enough to kill though, and the unholy aberration quickly regained its footing and looked back up. The only thing it saw was Lori's mace before the 3Ib spiked ball of iron crushed the skull into tiny splinters. On a role now, Lori continued her march until she stood above the other skeleton that had been knocked down earlier. The Bone Rabble lunged at her from its sitting position and got a face-full of shield for its trouble. Lori glared at the skeleton as it writhed on the ground and raised he shield up high above her head, held it there for a few seconds, and brought the sharpened end down onto the skeleton's spine, neatly bisecting it. Now without a lower body the skeleton's movement was greatly restricted and all it could do was flop about aimlessly as its arms tried to find purchase on the stone floor. Lori brought it out of its misery with a well-timed stomp of her boot and ground the bone to powder with a savage grin.

Lori could hear Luna rushing behind her and snapped her head to the right where she saw Lei currently engaged with her own problem as a Bone Soldier stalked towards her while a Bone Arbalist hung towards the back, loading another bolt into its enormous crossbow. In three seconds Lori analyzed the scenario, weighed the risks, and lunged out towards the Arbalist just as the skeletal soldier notched a bolt and pulled back the string, its weapon aimed right at her younger sister. Lori had just enough time throw up her shield as the bolt was released, but unfortunately for her she was a second too late as the bolt caught the edge of her shield and spun off into the darkness. Caught on ill-footing the force of the impact spun Lori off her feet and she crashed to the ground and lay groaning on her back, dazed from the fall. Though she couldn't see them she could hear the tell-tale clanging of metal as two swords struck and Luna scream out in fear and anger as she tried to drive off the Bone Soldier. She could also dimly make out Leni screaming, and it slowly dawned on her that she was screaming her name. Lori grunted and made to get up when a shadow fell over her, and she looked up to see a grinning skull wearing a tin brodie helmet leering down at her.

The Bone Arbalist raised up its crossbow and Lori gasped when she saw the bayonet affixed to the cocking stirrup pointing straight down at her. With a grunt Lori slammed her shoulder into the ground and twisted her body just as the bayonet's point came down, no easy feat when outfitted in an iron cuirass, and she could feel the jagged point of the rusted weapon plunge into the ground where her head was just scant seconds ago. There was sense of grim satisfaction when she heard the rusted bayonet snap as it hit the stone and she kicked out, wincing as her shin struck the skeleton's bony thigh. As the undead creature hit the ground Lori began to haul herself up, a monumentous effort under her armor especially when compared to the lighter skeleton. Lori squared off against the skeleton as the two repositioned themselves, spitting a ball of bloody phlegm to the ground after wiping her busted lip. The skeleton notched another bolt and she tightened her grip on her shield, keeping herself between the deadly weapon and her more lightly armored sisters.

On Luna's side the battle had taken a less than satisfactory turn as she traded blows with the Bone Soldier. Though she most certainly seemed to possess a greater skill with a blade than one her age and lack of training should (an almost instinctual knowledge really, not that she had the time to assess the situation at hand) this alone would not carry her against the mindless, and more importantly tireless, automaton that stood before her. A lack of skill on her part was another factor to consider, while the skeleton moved slowly there was nothing chaotic about how it fought, each move was precise and calculated in the same way a machine would; conversely Luna pitched her blows with wild abandon, desperate to hit any vital points and to end the battle as quickly as possible without getting hurt.

It was almost like watching two children on the playground fight with sticks. Really dumb children.

"Leni!" Luna cried, parrying the skeletal swordsman's strike with her own sword. The shock of the blow sent a tremor up her arm and she grunted with pain. Luna forced the sword away and looked over her shoulder back to her older sister and screamed out again. "Leni! Your book, use that book!" The distraction lasted only a second, but Luna's vision blurred as the side of her head erupted in pain as the skeleton used that one second to rear back and slam a bony fist into her temple. Luna groaned and slumped to the floor, her sword clattering on the stone. Though her vision swam she could faintly make out the Bone Soldier looming over her, its own sword raised high above its head.

"HEY!"

The skeleton had just enough time to turn and see Leni rear her holy book over her shoulder before she swung the thick tome right at its head. The leather-bound bible smacked into skull with a heavy thud and the head went sailing off into the blackness beyond the torchlight. For a few seconds the skeleton stood there, then began to frantically pat the empty air where its head used to be, then shrugged and fell apart.

Leni narrowed her eyes and nodded sagely before running over to her sister and hauling the poor girl to her feet.

"Are you alright Luna," the worried teen asked her sister. Luna slowly nodded, rubbing the side of her head. She checked her palm and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see any blood.

"Think so luv," the rocker replied, then gave Leni a crooked grin. "Really threw the book at him didn't ya?"

"Totes did!" Leni chirped back with a grin and the two girls started chuckling.

A ragged howl broke them out of their revelry and the two of them turned around and stared as Lori rushed the Bone Arbalist and struck it with her shield, tossing the skeleton to the ground. She stomped over to its prone form and smashed in its ribcage with a boot before swinging her mace down into the dead thing's skull, ending its pathetic facsimile of life. Lori looked back and examined her handiwork for a few seconds, then swung her mace again. And again. And again. Then Leni and Luna had to pry her away from the battered carcass and move her off down the halls, but not before Leni grabbed the torch she had hung up on the wall when the fight started.

The trio continued on in this fashion for a short while until Leni noticed Lori scratching at her arm when she thought her sisters weren't watching and made them take a break. Luna wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of setting up camp in a dungeon but after looking at Lori's arm, with some added encouragement from her rumbling belly) acquiesced and a fire was quickly set from gathered debris. After a quick meal of meat, cheese, and bread procured from the Caretaker before setting off that morning Leni grabbed Lori's arm and ignoring the older teen's protests began to bandage it up.

"I wish you would've let me heal you earlier," Leni huffed, slathering her sisters arm with medical ointments, "I can only do my magic trick when a fight's still going on."

Lori winced as her sister applied the cream and glared down at her. "And I told you to save it. We don't know if you need a cool-down or if that magic has like a three-strikes rule or something. Besides, I'm fine."

"Oh yeah," Luna chimed in after swallowing her makeshift sandwich. "You were just chewing the skin off yer arm there luv, picture of health that is. Just let Leni do her thing mate, she's a Black Magic Woman who's got the right stuff!"

The two younger girls giggled at that and Lori sank into her seat with a grumble. She looked down at her arm and grimaced. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the itching was getting worse after that fight with the skeletons, so much so that she didn't even realize that she had been chewing off her skin until Leni screamed when she saw the blood on her face. Whatever that venom was it was hellish, and Lori hoped she wouldn't have to deal with anymore of those awful creatures.

Leni hummed to herself as she applied wrapped bandages around Lori's arm and soon enough the urge to itch had dissipated, though Lori was still quite grumpy that she had been proven wrong yet again and made no attempt to hide. Leni took it in stride with a wide grin and even went so far as to give the make-shift cast a kiss when she was finished pressing it. Lori grumbled and raised up her arm as if to inspect it. She gave Leni a quick side-glance and muttered a, "Thank you," before standing up and stretching. She picked up her mace and noted with no small sense of dissatisfaction that while it no longer hurt to hold the heavy weapon the cast (and whatever damage the venom had done to her) and made her swing just a fraction slower than it was. It was barely noticeable, but some part in the back of Lori's head hissed at her that even a second's delay could mean the difference between life and death and she steeled her resolve for whatever lay ahead.

Just as Lori opened her mouth to give what she no doubt though to be a rousing speech she was cut off by Luna who stood to her feet and with her head cocked walked off down the hallway they set up their little camp. She grabbed a torch and lit it in the fire then slowly walked a little ways off down the hall, as cautious and light-footed as a cat, then leaned down to examine something. Lori was just about to call her back over when Luna jumped to her feet with a shriek. She turned to flee but Lori and Leni were already there with weapons raised. Lori peered over Luna's shoulder and felt hot bile rise in her throat at what she saw.

It was a maggot. An enormous maggot, literally as big as her head. It's bulbous, pale body had been crushed, a putrid pussy liquid leaked from it and stained the floor around it. Lori raised a hand to her mouth to try and stem the tide of nausea boiling in her throat and glanced around her. In the dark she could make out more of them, pitiful little carcasses gleaming white in the dim light of the Ruins. They were hideous, this whole place was hideous. Giant spiders, walking dead things, and now maggots? As if this place didn't reek of death enough already.

Ignoring Luna's gags Lori moved over to the closest maggot and nudged it over with a foot. The body was stiff but not entirely so, the fattest parts of it still jiggled and a wretched smell wafted off it as more of its thick milky insides squirted out. The maggot hadn't been dead for long, maybe for the better part of a day, but what had happened to them? Lori was torn from her thought by a loud gasp and she whipped around to see Leni kneeling to the ground. Lori and Luna shared a confused look and slowly walked over to their sister. Lori reached out to grab Leni's shoulder, but the younger teen shook her off and stood up, slowly turning around to show them what she had clenched tightly in her shaking fists.

A scrap of black fabric along with a single torn black-and-white legging, both marred in blood.

"Lucy," Lori whispered, but the noise sounded faint to her, as if from a great distance. Her vision blurred, and her face felt hot.

"Oh God," Luna moaned and buried her face in her hands, her whole-body trembling in fear and sadness and more than a hint of anger.

Leni stood there like a statue, solemn and distant. Slowly her fists clenched so tight the knuckles grew white and she felt something hot running down her chin, too far gone to realize she was biting her bottom lip hard enough to bleed. Leni felt something then that she didn't fully understand but knew enough of to make a comparison. Leni had felt frustration before, for all her cheerfulness and good-natured personality she had felt anger and the memory of Luna's little comments the day before ran through her head. But this was more than that, this ran deeper and hotter all the way to her stomach enough to make her heart ache and her lungs cry out.

For that one instant Leni felt white-hot rage, and then the world melted away.

Lori and Luna jumped back as Leni voiced her grief and screamed. It was a piping cacophony that pierced the ears and rang around in the skull until your head was throbbing and your knees shook from the sheer power of it. Despite their grief the two teens were taken aback by the sheer volume of Leni's cry, and then when they got over that the look on her face set them straight. Leni's beautiful features lay twisted, polluted from grief and rage and transformed into something altogether sinister in every aspect. With a bestial snarl Leni turned on her heels and rushed off down the halls, leaving Luna and Lori struck dumb by the whole spectacle.

Naturally, however, the two girls recovered quickly and raced after their sister. Luna called after her but as Lori suspected her pleas were either ignored or more likely didn't register. Not that she could tell her that, for all the extra protection her armor and shield afforded her streamlined they were not and the heavy instruments weighed her down considerably. Not that she could afford to lose Luna though, after all the rockin' teen had the torch.

 _Where the hell is she going_ , Lori thought bitterly. Her answer soon came to her when she took a quick glance to the ground. It didn't register at first, and she wasn't about to stop and look at it, but then she saw it again, and again. Dark splatters of some dried liquid. It had the color of rust in the ever-fading torch light and it wasn't until she saw it three more times that she realized it was a blood trail. Skeletons don't bleed, and they hadn't fought any Cultists recently...

Lori pumped her legs and sped up as fast as she could. Her scowl deepened into a grimace of pure hate and she growled like an animal as her vision went red. She couldn't save her baby sister, but she could damn well avenge her. And may whatever passes for God in this hell have mercy on the poor soul that did it, because Lori would have none to offer.

* * *

The Cultist watched with baited breath as the Necromancer Apprentice composed the final preparations for the ritual. Anxiety and eagerness to commence the sacrifice gnawed at his core but he held himself back out fear and respect for the ancient practices at work here. That the Necromancer would kill him without a second's hesitation should its vile arcane applications be interrupted didn't fail to cross his mind.

Nevertheless, the Cultist couldn't help but admire the efficiency with which the walking carcass went about its duties. When the Necromancer claimed its skill with preservation were sub-par the Cultist had cause for concern, but looking at her now the results were astonishing. Sure, the leg was twisted, and painful spasms raked through her body, and she profusely vomited blood and embalming fluid, but frankly it was by far an improvement to what the Ghoul had done to her. He watched the Necromancer anoint the body with profane toxicants as it uttered dark incantations in the stolen voices of the dead and trembled as something came over him. It was almost orgasmic really, desire so powerful as to become physical, an overarching need imposed on the very fabric of reality itself.

The hour was close at hand. The stars had aligned, the sacrifice had been properly prepared. The Cultist drew in, salivating over the hapless, listless prey laying on the slab.

"Is it time? I can feel it, it's time."

" _Yessssss... it is... time_."

The atmosphere in the room changed. The rank odor of decay that permeated the very stone was drawn out and replaced with something a bit fresher. A sort of energy was in the air, even the dead seemed animated by it as they capered and stomped their bony feet to a rhythm. The red fire of the torches in the room smoldered out only to ignite once again with an unearthly, greenish glow. The Cultist breathed deep and let it out in a growl. He could practically taste the eldritch in the air, he could feel his inhibitions melt away. He cast a predatory glare down at his captive, his muse, his love, his sacrifice.

"Power," the man whispered, and under his robes he gripped something metal and sharp. The Cultist pulled out his sacrificial knife and the secespita gleamed in the green witch-fires that surrounded the altar. The stomping of the skeletons reached a crescendo as the Cultist dramatically held his hands out and slowly brought them both up high above his head, the knife gripped tight in his to hands. He closed his eyes and paused as if waiting for an applause (there was none of course, skeletons can't talk) and slowly opened his eyes, gazing down at the quivering wreck below him. Lucy's eyes were gazing past the Cultist, past the ceiling, past everything here and now and in between.

The Cultist howled in wild abandon and brought the knife down.

A scream echoed in the altar room but one far louder and more terrible than the Cultist's and at the last second the man flinched and in his startled haste tripped on his robes and fell to the floor. The Necromancer spared the downed Cultist not a second glance but glided over the altar and gazed off into the Darkness. Something was happening just beyond the torchlight, it could see, could feel the life in its domain. The skeletons, seemingly confused by the sudden change of tone in the room, were left defenseless as a young woman wearing the holy robes the Church's Vestals waded through them, cracking skulls and limbs with studded cudgel. Her voice was hate, and her eyes were fire and she reaped a toll among the dead before the Necromancer was able to pour its energy into them and direct the Bone Rabble to their new target with a simple command.

" _KILL HER_!" The Necromancer screeched, and the skeletons turned towards the threat.

In the time it took for the horde to gather Leni had destroyed five of their number, leaving eleven of them left. Though the Necromancer's expression went unseen under its hood there was a minute trace of humanity in the way it clenched its fists. Inwardly the Apprentice cursed that the rabble before it possessed no weapons other than clubs, shovels, and other meager instruments; the soldiers had been sent to guard the halls after all and were not necessary to fuel the ritual. Obviously, the guards proved useless. No matter, the dead had numbers on their side, as powerful as a Vestal might be even a Crusader would find these odds more than a match.

It was at this moment Luna and Lori burst into the room and joined their sister's side, Lori hacking away at the dead with her mace while Luna chopped at arms and spines with her short-sword.

The Necromancer Apprentice bobbed its head twice, reached into its hood to presumably scratch its chin, and turned around.

"W-where are you going," the Cultist shrieked at the Necromancer's retreating figure, all former bravado thoroughly depleted. The Necromancer ignored the pathetic little gimp and glided off into the darkness without another word. However, just as it was about to leave the Cultist's sight, hovering just at the edge of oblivion it stopped and raised a skeletal arm up beside its head. Bony fingers snapped once, loud and clear even above the violence in the room, and then the Necromancer dissipated into the black.

The ghoul that had been waiting in the corner patiently lurched to its feet. The Cultist squeaked as the massive predator made its way over to him, and for a second it lingered on him with its horrible eyes and gore-caked claws itching in anticipation, but it moved past him without incident. It moved past the altar, sparing the tiny body still curled on the slab not a second glance, and stood at the head of the raised platform overlooking the battle below it with an unreadable expression on its elongated face.

It opened its mouth so wide it could swallow a person whole and screamed.

It wasn't a human's scream, there was something there that was almost human but too much of it wasn't. It was loud, and the echo of the small room only added to the cacophony as the noise multiplied and hung in the air. There was power in it, animalistic in its intensity as it heralded a hunger ferocious in its depth. There was hate too, and perhaps that's what made it sound almost human.

For a few seconds the battle stopped as the Loud girls halted in their advance and stared up at the towering Ghoul. Its muscular, ape-like body well over 7 ft. tall, the dried blood that caked its limbs, the cavernous maw bristling with fangs, the luminous eyes that glowed like fiery lanterns as it stared down at the girls. It was a nightmare given flesh, a horrible twisted perversion of the human body and mind. Even the skeletons paused as the Ghoul made its presence. Granted this was because the power the Necromancer used to direct the unholy aberration came at the expense of their own guidance, but it made for a pretty cool effect all the same.

Of the undead horde only seven remained from the onslaught of the Louds, and the two at the back were instantly crushed as the Ghoul leapt from the dais and landed on them. A third and then fourth skeleton were summarily tossed aside as the Ghoul strode through the crowd and swung its enormous arms around, and then for good measure he crushed another skeleton as it reached out for the closest Loud and Luna reacted in kind by jamming the torch she was carrying into its face.

The Ghoul reeled back and howled again, a horrible bestial noise that made shivers run down the girl's spines. Luna bore the brunt of the onslaught and she backed up on quivering legs, her hands clenched tightly over her ears as tears poured down her face. The Ghoul snarled and raised a massive paw above its head, claws stretched out and poised to strike.

There was a hollow crack as a skull collided with its head and splintered. The Ghoul blinked twice then snapped its head over to a very angry looking Lori, mace in hand and a headless skeleton at her feet.

"That's right," the young woman snapped at the towering predator. "Over here, pick on someone who can fight back!"

It was at that moment one of the skeletons still 'alive' from the assault decided to make its presence known in the obnoxious way possible as it tackled Lori. The force of the Bone Rabble's impact nearly threw Lori off her feet and the young woman planted her feet into the ground and swung her mace up into the zombie's ribs. The awkward angle of the swing didn't carry enough force to knock the skeleton off her and an awkward struggle for the higher ground began as the skeleton tried to force her to the ground and Lori tried to keep its bony talons out of her eyes.

A low snort brought the two of them from their scuffle and both Lori and skeleton slowly turned their head to see the haggard face of the Ghoul looming over them. The creature snorted, stepped back, and swung an arm as thick as a Christmas Tree at them. Lori gagged, and her vision went white when the arm struck her side, and something crunched under her iron cuirass as both her and the skeleton were sent flying. The skeleton hit the ground first and clattered to the ground, its arms and legs splintering and detaching. Immediately Lori landed on top of it and crushed what was left under her armor.

The Ghoul paused for a moment and regarded the groaning lady it had sent flying, but ultimately decided to finish off the prey closest to it. It turned back to the fight and got a club to his face for his troubles.

In an uncharacteristic display of combat prowess Leni jumped back as soon as her club hit and began to sprint around the Ghoul. Whatever notion was running through her head payed off, the Ghoul was massive but relatively slow with its massive upper body and by the time it noticed its retaliatory claw swipe had missed Leni was already behind him, readying her club for another blow. Her studded club struck the Ghoul's ankle with a crack and the creature flinched under the attack as Leni jumped back to avoid a backhand that would've knocked her head open.

Leni circled the growling creature, her ferocity at the start of the battle had been tempered with caution as she regarded the monster in front of her. The way it moved, the way it had crushed the skeletons before it so easily, the way it had just knocked Lori out so easily. Leni might've been slow, but she wasn't an idiot and despite what others might've though of her she did possess some measure of survival instinct. Unfortunately for Leni her opponent was simply too far gone to appreciate such mundane things as tactics, nor was it capable of feeling wariness or fear.

With a roar the Ghoul raised its fist up and brought the heavy paw down where Leni had stood just seconds ago. Slow as it was when turning the Ghoul was deviously quick in short bursts and it was all Leni could do to stay out of its way as it slammed the ground again and again. It suddenly occurred to Leni that it was like an oversize game of whack-a-mole, and the thought made her giggle as she cracked the Ghoul in the temple with her club.

There was a wet crunch as the weapon left an obvious dent in the monster's skull, but the Ghoul didn't even seem to feel the blow or the blood squirting out in a thin jet. The was a soft crack as the Ghoul unhinged its jaws and lunged forward at Leni who squeaked and held up her cudgel in front of her face. The Ghoul's mouth snapped shut and its fangs became embedded in the soft wooden handle of the weapon. What then followed was a brief struggle of tug-a-war as Leni shouted at the troglodyte to let go and pulled on her weapon. The Ghoul eventually grew tired of the game and reared up onto his legs.

For a second Leni was dangling in mid-air, her fists still clenched tightly around the handle of her weapon, before all the air was knocked out of lungs as the Ghoul slugged her in the gut. Leni went flying and slammed into ground with a loud thud where she slowly got to her knees and began to wheeze. The pain was terrible, and Leni felt like she couldn't breathe right. She leaned over and opened her mouth, balking as a trickle of blood came out.

There was a dull thump to her left and Leni looked over to see a wall pallid grey flesh. The Ghoul reached down and grabbed her neck, pinching the tiny organ with its thumb and forefinger. Its touch was strange, almost gentle compared to how it had acted earlier, like it was making sure its claws didn't pierce her fragile skin.

Leni looked up at the Ghouls face and blanched when the monster's crooked mouth turned upwards in a disgusting parody of a grin. This creature didn't have much of anything human in it, but it did have just enough to know sadism and it reveled in the opportunity as its other arm grabbed onto Leni's midsection and squeezed. Leni gagged, and the Ghoul quickly removed its fingers from her throat and grabbed onto her side again. Now with both hands clutching her sides it tightened its hold, mounting the pressure.

"Luna help!" Leni cried, punching the Ghoul in the head. She might as well have been striking a brick wall, without her cudgel she could do no damage. Frantic, she looked over at her sister and saw Luna standing there, hands over her face and shaking her head, her body trembling.

"L-LUNA!?" Leni cried again, then howled as the pressure increased. Terror took hold now and Leni thrashed in the monster's grip, kicking and punching and even biting at its leathery hide. A disgusting chortle rumbled out of the Ghoul's throat as it crushed the air out of Leni's lungs. Leni opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out except more blood. She could feel something snap inside her and her eyes bugged out when the trickle became a stream. Leni reared her head back in a silent scream as her vision swam and slowly grew darker. She felt so cold.

There was a heavy, wet crunch and Leni fell to the ground as the Ghoul shrieked and spasmed under the heavy blow dealt to its ribcage. The monster spun around and lashed out with its talons but for all her armor and Lori had already jumped back just out of reach. She swung her mace again and clipped the monster's mouth, her metal weapon broke several of its leftmost fangs and she felt its jaw snap under the force of her mace. Lori snarled and brought her mace around for another hit, scoring a blow on the other side of the jaw with similar results. The Ghoul dropped to its knees and gurgled through its broken maw, the flesh hanging off in ribbons while teeth cascaded onto the ground. Lori smirked and raised her mace high above her head, ready to bring it down on the broken animal.

The Ghoul shot its right arm out and Lori wailed as the monster's bloody talons tore open the right side of her face.

 _Mortality clarified in a single strike!_

Lori spun from the force of the blow, reeling in pain as she dropped her shield to ground and reached up to try and stem the flow of blood. Lori moaned piteously as she reached around and realized her right eye socket was nothing more than a gaping hole. Her face met the stone floor with a crunch as the Ghoul planted its foot squarely on her back, rearing back its leg to kick her a good three times before it began to pummel her broken body like an ape.

The Ghoul reared its fist back for another blow there was a sudden blossoming of pain, distant and dull but there nonetheless, somewhere in its arm. Pausing, the creature looked down at the source and dimly realized that where its right hand was but a moment ago there was naught left but a bleeding stump. The Ghoul peered over its shoulder and was met with the barrel of a gun. There was a sound of thunder and the right side of the Ghoul's face was shorn off in a shower of gore as the bullet grazed the side of the skull. The creature fell back with a groan and Luna was on him in an instant, hacking at its exposed stomach with her short sword.

Unseen and unknown during this confrontation was the Cultist, cowering away behind the sacrificial slab as his plans were dashed before his very eyes. He peeked out from behind the altar and blanched when he saw the lone swords-woman stabbing the Ghoul in its nethers. He ducked back to safety and chewed on his nails, wondering to himself just how he was going to get out of this situation. He peered out again and to his surprise noticed that one lone skeleton was left from the initial massacre. It was just standing there, watching the battle.

"Hey!"

The skeleton looked around for a few seconds until it noticed the scrawny Cultist leaning out from behind his hiding spot, glaring at it and motioning towards the enraged Ghoul that was now trying to swipe at both Luna and Lori who had managed to get back to her feet.

"Don't just stand there," the Cultist hissed, and pointed towards the fight. "Get in there!"

The skeleton turned back towards the fight and noted the Girl-at-Arms swinging her mace at the Ghoul's ribs while the Highwaywoman sliced at the back of its right leg, severing the Achilles-tendon. The skeleton looked back over to the scowling Cultist, back to the fight, Cultist, fight...

The Cultist's jaw dropped when the Bone Rabble dropped its club to the floor, threw its hands up, and walked out of the room through one of the many side-doors.

"Okay then," the Cultist muttered, and cast another fearful glance back to the fight.

Whoever these girls where they fought like devils, the Girl-at-Arms had taken one hell of a beating, hell it looked like her shield arm was dislocated, but she still fought with a berserker's fury. The Highwaywoman was just as vicious but in a more controlled manner, dodging and weaving under the monster's claws until she could get a swipe in; though for whatever reason her face was stretched into a grimace and her eyes flooded with tears. The Ghoul certainly wasn't faring well, it's brawny body was covered in hack-marks and bloody bruises, its jaw was broken so it couldn't howl, it kept tripping over its useless right leg, it's right arm had been cut off, and half of its damn face was missing! How the Hell was it still alive?!

The Cultist ducked back under cover and rapped his knuckles against his head. Alright, so the Vestal was probably dead, and the armored berserker with one eye was probably going to die too. But the Highwaywoman looked like she was probably going to make it. And on the off-chance the Ghoul survived then who was to stop it from killing him? As he pondered his myriad potential gruesome deaths a glint in the corner of his eye drew his attention and he crawled over to it on his hands and knees.

The sacrificial knife gleamed in the green light of the torches and the corners Cultist's mouth drew up in a revolting leer.

Back in the fray Lori doubled over from an errant blow of the Ghoul's stumped arm and retched her hastily eaten lunch onto the floor. Her entire body was sore, battered, broken, and a dull pain throbbed in her head as her vision swam. She spat bloody phlegm onto the ground and wiped her mouth before swinging her mace at the Ghoul, catching the groaning beast in the knee. Pain she could deal with, it meant she was alive after all. She didn't have time to die.

Meanwhile Luna ducked under slashing talons and delivered her own in kind, her sword slashing at the monster's exposed elbow, clipping the bone and shaving off muscle and tendon. Fighting this monster wasn't like fighting bandits or skeletons. Like the bandits it was creature of flesh and blood, but like the skeletons it felt no pain and hadn't the good sense to die though the floor ran a dark red from its rotten blood. Still, it seemed to be slowing from the blows to its knees and head, perhaps all that was needed now was to avoid the death blows and wait for it to bleed out.

Luna's hubris caught up to her when the Ghoul grabbed a skeleton's remains from off the ground and slung the carcass at her, catching the unawares girl in the stomach. Luna hit the stone with a grunt and was only able to shove off the pile of bones and leather before the Ghoul was upon her. It raised one leg up high and brought its clubbed foot down hard on Luna's stomach. Something crunched under its heel and Luna vomited as she screamed. It reared up for another blow when Lori slammed into its side, nearly bowling the beast over though its caught itself at the last second. On an impulse of animalistic fury Lori punched it in the ribs and bit the Ghoul on its side but the damage was negligible, and the Ghoul retaliated by cracking her in the head with its elbow. Dazed and bloodied Lori slumped to the ground and trembled as the blow to her head wrought its toll and the Ghoul raised another leg up, this time aiming right at Lori's head.

There was movement behind the Ghoul and it paused, and then something happened. The air had changed, the dank rot of foul sorcery that once hung in this unholy charnel had dissipated, replaced by something fresher, something angry and hot and vengeful. Something unknown came over the Ghoul then, something it had no knowledge or name for in its bestial brain and in fact hadn't felt for some time, a time from before when it was small and weak. Those times were so long ago, why was it feeling it now? Why were these shadows in its mind suddenly growing?

The Ghoul turned around and a shiver ran down his spine, and suddenly it realized that it was feeling fear.

Leni stood before the monster, resplendent in form and awesome in her fury. Her skin was golden, a luminous aura shining like fire radiated from within her very body. The torches in the room were suddenly snuffed out and their green flames replaced by red infernos. Leni took two steps towards the monster, one hand holding her open bible and the other pointing straight at the cowering brute. Her serene face twisted into a sneer and fire emanated from her grit teeth.

 _"Cade in gehennam, enim tu graviter peccavisti."_

The Ghoul burst into flames and screamed through the broken mess of its jaw. Flailing its arms around the dying beast took three steps back and fell onto the ground where it writhed and groaned until it finally fell silent. The bonfire raged with all the intensity of Leni's hate until that too finally dissipated and all that was left to suggest the Ghoul had ever even existed was a charred, deformed skeleton, just as gruesome in death as it had been in its parody of a life.

Leni's face slowly began to relax as the sight, her fearsome visage becoming serene once again as the golden flames cascaded off her body and rolled across the floor, engulfing the prone forms of her sisters. The light washed over them, and their bodies glowed with the same luminescence as hers did until it finally faded away and all that was left was a sense of justice that hung in the air and drove away the inherent wrongness of this place.

Luna groaned, Lori coughed, then both suddenly jumped to their feet, a crazed gleam in their eyes as they hefted their weapons up and looked around ready to continue fighting. They saw the dead Ghoul first, looked to each other, then over to a frankly exhausted Leni who was looking like she was going to faint. Luna reacted first and rushed over to her sister, catching the poor teen in a hug before bestowing a flurry of kisses to her face with a hundred thank you's and declarations of love as furnishing. Lori chuckled at the display, so happy to be alive that it only retroactively dawned on her that something was wrong. She suddenly reached up to feel her face and was relieved to feel that the scratches were gone, but something still felt off, felt empty. She then realized half of her vision was black, and she raised a finger to tentatively poke the empty hole in her skull where her right eye used to be.

Lori heard the shuffle of fabric on stone and turned to see a man standing above a small table in the forefront of the altar that stood in the center of the room. He was dressed in the typical robes of the Cultists they had already encountered in the Ruins. Lori held up her shield and called out to her sisters when she saw the man was holding a knife but then she noticed he wasn't poised to throw it or rush at her, instead he was pointing it straight down.

It was then Lori noticed Lucy's tiny body on the slab.

Lori screamed but the knife descended without a care, piercing Lucy's fragile flesh, sending a torrent of red up into the air as the man reared back and laughed in triumph.

"Finally," the Cultist cried out in sheer jubilation. "Power! It's mine, all mine! All the power in the wor-

The crack of Luna's gun cut him off and the Cultist fell back with a cry, clutching his bleeding shoulder. Lori was already climbing the altar as fast as her cumbersome armor allowed. She stood before Lucy's body and choked out a gasp.

She looked so small, so broken. A knife was sticking out of her chest and a river of blood ran from the wound, staining her tattered black dress crimson. Lucy didn't cry, didn't scream, but she did breathe, it was a shallow, tiny whisper that didn't even seem real, slowly getting quieter. Lori held out a trembling hand and stroked her baby sister's pale cheek, so cold to the touch it burned. A gasp tore her from her reverie and she turned to see the Cultist sitting up.

"Not fair," the man gasped in pain, holding onto his broken shoulder. "It should've been mine. I preformed the sacrifice, where's my power. Where's my…" He stopped himself short when a shadow fell over him, and the man squealed when he looked up and saw Death staring back at him. "No, w-wait-

Lori brought her mace down on the man's head, the offending organ exploded in a shower of brain and skull. She brought it down again, this time on the man's chest, shattering the ribcage and crushing the organs. Lori brought it down again, and again, and again, only dimly aware that she was roaring out every swear and slur she could think of as she pulped the monster in front of her until there was nothing left but crushed bones and a red smear. Only then did Lori stop, only then did it all really sink in.

She turned around and saw her sisters crowding around the altar. Leni had picked up Lucy's twisted, little body and was cradling her baby sister with one hand while the other held her bible open. She was shouting out phrases in old dead languages, unsure whether they were even the right ones or if it wasn't too late but unwilling or perhaps unable to let go. Luna stood off to the side, alternating between watching Leni work to planting her face in her open palms, openly sobbing and swearing in a choked voice.

Lori's eyes fell on Lucy. Her eyes open but unseeing. Her chest rising but only slightly, shallow breaths faint as a whisper. One arm reached out, blindly snaking through the air as if to grasp something, then fell limp at her side.

Lori dropped her weapon and shield, covered her face with her hands, and doubled over until her head touched her knees.

And she screamed.

* * *

Lucy Loud was neither here nor there, in or out, with or without. Substance was lacking, and time had no bearing, the body was but an imaginary figment dreamt up by something beyond control or contempt. She walked without moving, thought without experiencing, and most importantly existed only at the behest of something greater than her.

It was almost reassuring really, to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was in fact something greater than you. Something that could be considered truly almighty.

That this something was undeniably malevolent held little bearing.

 _ **Shut Off The Light And Darkness Rushes In To Fill The Void.**_

Masculine, powerful, seductive.

 _ **This Will Be An Easy War.**_

The undeniable voice of God.

 _ **My Time. As Was Prophesied.**_

A shudder ran through Lucy's soul and she ascended, gripped by a strength beyond mortal comprehension. She looked up to the stars and they looked down on her, a thousand gemstone eyes that judged relentlessly and gave nothing but took everything.

 _ **Your Power Is In Darkness Lucy.**_

The Darkness pierced her porcelain skin and Lucy shuddered in orgasmic glee as she was filled to the brim with God's hate.

 _ **I Fixed Your Broken Body. You Live By My Will Only.**_

The Darkness wrapped around her and dragged her down. Choking her. Devouring her.

 _ **NO MORE DREAMING.**_

* * *

Lucy awoke from her nightmare slowly, gently, her pallid flesh caressed by the warm glow of a fire and her ears assaulted by the harsh caw of the raven sitting on the window sill. The corvid sat there for a moment, analyzed the stirring girl, then swiftly departed with another cry, almost a cackle really.

She was weak. Her body ached. Her right leg screamed in agony. But she was alive. Lucy Loud was alive and the thought made her so giddy she all but squealed in delight.

With a grunt Lucy shoved off the heavy covers and sat up straight. Yawning, Lucy glanced about the room and her eyes settled on the nightstand beside her bed. A nifty looking skull sat on it with a candle sticking out of the top. An odd, pungent fragrance emanated from the candle and it made her cough. Wiping her eyes Lucy admired the gothic nature of the room and delighted in the warmth of the fireplace, especially the way its glow accentuated the wait a minute...

Confusion gripped her as she stared at her unfamiliar surroundings, and it was quickly replaced by terror when she accounted for the differences. Her bed wasn't this big, her room wasn't this big, her room didn't have a fireplace, her room had another person in it, a big sister to scare away the monsters under the bed before Lucy decided she would rather try and talk to them instead.

She regretted thinking like that now, she wished Lynn was here.

Lucy buried her face in her hands and whimpered as it all came rushing back to her and her worst fears were confirmed. It wasn't a nightmare, it had all happened. Monsters were real, dead things that crawled under the Earth and snatched up little girls to stick twisted metal in their bodies while demons ripped off people's heads and things with a thousand eyes stared back at you _OH GOD THE EYES_!

Lucy moaned and curled up only to cry out when a spasm of pain racked through her right leg. Whimpering Lucy gingerly peeled back the covers and stared down at the twisted limb. Her right leg looked wrong, there was a bulge in the calf, so slight as to almost be unnoticeable but there all the same. Her mind flashed back to the monster with glowing eyes, its iron grip, and Lucy moaned.

She was lame now, crippled by the cruel talons of a monster from her worst nightmares.

Lucy slowly uncurled from her position and tentatively placed her leg on top of the covers. There was an uncomfortable pressure on her chest and Lucy peered down her black nightgown as shuddered when she saw her chest covered in linen wrappings. She scratched her head in confusion but only winced more when her fingers brushed against yet more wrapping, strips of cloth wound tightly around her head. What had happened to her to necessitate such medical procedures. Probably what made her leg the way it was she fathomed, and focused on her leg if only to make sure she didn't remember that awful monster's face.

Mouth quivering, Lucy looked around the room again and it struck her that she was completely alone. No sisters, no Lincoln, no mom and dad. Where were they? Was she alone? Where was she? Terror gripped her heart and her breath once again quickened. Was this a trap? Was she still in Hell, was this all a trick, were they just keeping her here and saving her for some profane ritual?

Lucy resolved to not wait and find out, and with a speed tempered by caution she slowly descended off the Queen-sized bed onto the hard wood floors. When her off-set leg hit the ground it sent another spasm up her body and Lucy had to bite her hand to keep herself from crying out. She stood on it gingerly, keeping most of her weight on her good leg until the pain subsided or at least grew tolerable and then, hand still in her mouth, she took a step. It was rough goings, every step sent a fresh wave of pain through her body, and it was all she could do not to fall to the floor and wait for the inevitable. But Loud girls are anything but quitters, and resilience coupled with raw adrenaline surged Lucy's little body forward.

It took several minutes to make a journey of seven ft. and she had fallen many times, but by the end of it Lucy had gained a rhythm of sorts by keeping most of her weight on her good leg and quickly limping with the other. The pain had lessened, and a small, distant part of Lucy was even hopeful that while she would never walk normally again she could at least still walk. Hobbling to the door, Lucy stood on the tips of her left foot's toes to reach the doorknob and opened the mahogany door, wincing as the old wooden thing creaked.

Lucy slowly crept from her room, eyes furtively scanning both ends of what seemed to be a hallway lined with stained glass windows. A dull light filtered into the halls, though Lucy could see the sun was up past outside it seemed muted and the sky was grey.

There was a deep oppugnant nature about this place, repulsive and foreboding in design and purpose. Something terrible had happened here and it sent shivers down her back. Lucy hobbled out into the halls and wrung her hands together, desperately trying to ignore the thud of her lame foot as it hit the carpet. Making her way outside the room a part of Lucy realized she had no idea where she was going and could possibly make things worse for herself; a larger part drowned out that noise and reminded her that sitting in that room was just as likely to get her killed and at least she was doing something this way.

Lucy looked both way, picked a direction, and headed down the hallway. One foot at a time she limped down the carpeted wood floors, her head angled down so she could see the way she walked. It was a strange and awkward thing having to change to a different walking style than the one she'd used her entire life, but if this was how things had to be then the young girl would have to steel herself and adapt. Lucy Loud would not give up, she'd come so far, and she wasn't quitting now. A powerful resolve had built up in her and she was determined to see things out to the end, to get back home to her sisters and brother.

The crash of shattered porcelain echoed in the halls and Lucy's head shot up. What she saw made her gasp, and she reached up to brush the bangs from her eyes.

Leni Loud stood a few feet in front of her, a shattered plate of food at her feet and hands covering her mouth. Tears sprang from the older girl's eyes and she slowly reached out towards Lucy, her mouth curving up into a smile.

Without a word Lucy hobbled forward, oblivious to the burning pain coursing through her leg, her eyes wide and shining as she reached out for her big sister. She made it about three steps before Leni rushed down the hall and scooped her up, already shushing the sobs she was choking out with declarations of love and vows of protection, telling her she was safe and that everything was alright because Leni was here now, and big sister was going to make everything okay now.

Lucy knew it was a lie, nothing was alright, she wasn't going to be okay.

But for right now she was, and that was just fine.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh dear, oh dear, aren't we in trouble? Another sibling has been saved but again was the rescue too late? What crawls unseen in abandoned halls of gore and rotting waste, what whispers foul secrets in forgotten tongues in your ear while you sleep? Lucy Loud is alive but at what cost? Bidden to the will of something malevolent and eternal what does the future hold for this gothic tot, and can there be any hope to be found at all?**

 **And what of the others, where can the rest of the Loud children be found? And in what conditions, be they ill or naught?**

 **The answers to these questions, and more, can only be found within the depths of the Darkest Dungeon!**

 **And on that note comments and critiques are always appreciated, let me know what you thought or if you have any questions, and have a great day!**


	5. This Sepulcher Called Hope

**A/N: Well, here we are again, ready to sate your appetites for the unwholesome and macabre with another serving of the Loudest Dungeon my gentle readers. When last we were here young Lucy Loud was recovered by her siblings, though the circumstances were hardly pleasant. What lays in store for our young heroes as they are once again forced to delve into the ruins, are they ready for the horrors that await them? Read on, and find out...**

 **And now for comments!**

 **TheForgottenKnightmare: Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it and I can only hope my story continues to entertain.**

 **C0rrupt3dSpy: Ah, so nice to hear from someone familiar with my pastebin account, and I'm so glad to hear you enjoy my works. As you've no doubt noticed I have already begun to upload my stories from there to here, though I think I'll keep some (the BrownQtxLincoln Date Night series for example) solely on my pastebin account. Thank you for the comment, the follow, and the kind words my friend.**

 **Disclaimer: I own neither the Loud House nor the Darkest Dungeon, such properties are owned by Chris Savino/Nickelodeon and Red Hook Studios respectively. This is merely a work of fiction for the purposes of entertainment.**

* * *

Williams regarded the broken land before him with the same steady, hungry gaze as the crows which circled overhead. The mutterings of ill omens and the like had since abated but even now he would catch others glancing furtively up to the sky, wringing their hands and hunching their backs. He'd have to keep an eye on them, otherwise they might turn tail and run.

Couldn't be having that, the Ladies would be awfully upset with him should that happen. Production was behind schedule as it was and the midget with the glasses had made it abundantly clear this wouldn't be tolerated.

The men could hardly be faulted for their lackluster performance though. It had been some time since the last Lord of the land (may the Devil chew up his soul and spit it out into the primordial fires of Hell) had been around to order the men and it'd be easy to condemn them for their inactivity.

Williams shuddered as he looked at it, the brown-green pastures of rotting grass that slowly gave way to the inexorable presence of the dead lands. For here lie The Ruins, crumpled and left to scatter the landscape, all that remains of what was once a mighty castle and its own Hamlet, or so the legend goes. He didn't doubt it, certainly looked like there was enough rubble to go around.

These lands and relics of a bygone age were all that remained, dotting the acres as they burst from the ground that had swallowed up the land following an Earthquake some years back. The castle was fine though, as the tales told of long-winding labyrinthine halls deep underground, naturally filled to the brim with all sorts of ghoulies and beasties and the like. He didn't doubt that either. And neither did the local Lords, Barons and Dukes, many of whom no doubt held some claim on the land, though none had tried to collect it. None had been foolish enough.

"Damn fine day for it, isn't it, Will old boy?" Lambert asked. His blue eyes twinkled from within the weather folds of his face and his graying mustache twitched as he smelled the air. The smile on his face seemed inappropriate for the situation, the fact that it literally stretched from one ear to the other bordered on disconcerting.

"Yes, sir," Williams replied, casting a wary side glance at the aged veteran standing next to him. "A damn fine day," he said. What he didn't say was that it would be an even finer day for being somewhere else. Somewhere far away. Like, say, the tavern, or better yet the brothel. Not that he'd say this out loud of course, the last time he'd voiced such concerns the addled old man-at-arms had taken it as quite the jest and clapped him in the shoulder hard enough to dislocate it.

That had been a little after their first little excursion. The mistresses called it excavation, a fancy word for treasure hunting as he understood it. All perfectly safe, they had assured him after he became aware of the location, they had been through their earlier several times and more or less cleared out the west wing.

That first night young Thomas had been devoured by spiders the size of dogs. The beasts had been put down by the panicked workers and the job postponed. Williams cursed his luck, it had taken days to get the boys together when they were too made aware of the location and none of them would work again after the incident, swearing up and down that they were leaving for home the very next day.

The oldest of the Family came by the next day to make sure the work had started. When told of the incident she alone walked down into the dark, and by the time the sun had begun to set, and the men had packed up camp back for the Hamlet, she emerged from the gloom covered in green ichor and wearing the most terrifying scowl Williams had ever seen. She spat bloody phlegm at their feet and told them to get back to work, and shamefaced the men obliged to the young Lady's request.

Williams shuddered as the memory ran its course. That family had always been cursed, and he still had dim recollections of the old Lord from his childhood, but those were dim and fogged by time. This was fresh and raw and bloody and the look in that one eye haunted his dreams through the long weeks of labor that followed.

A sharp bark of laughter tore the rattish man from his reveries and he cast an irritated glare at the back of Lambert's head as the old codger toddled off to bother some other poor worker. The man had been sent to the camp the day after the Mistresses' visit, a security net she called him, as if that could be believed. Williams snorted and reached into his pocket, pulling out his trusty flask. With a wrench of his teeth the cork was torn free and Williams gulped down two shots in quick succession.

"Bit early for that don't you think," a worker called out from behind, and a chorus of snickers followed his jest.

"Isn't that what the midwife said to your mother?" Williams called back, not even turning around as the men behind him jeered and laughed.

Not for the first time Williams cursed his lot in life, his dependence on the bottle and his temper. But most of all Williams cursed his greed, greed for the gold and silver, for the shiny baubles hidden away under the earth or in long forgotten places, places like these. It was that very same greed after all that brought him here, that made him accept the sister's demands to have the Ruins excavated.

"Who knows what's down there," they whispered, their voices like honey as the cajoled him with flattery and bribes and maybe even a threat or two. It was hard to remember, he vaguely remembered the oldest pouring him a glass and things got a bit fuzzy after that.

Williams re-corked the flask and stuffed it back into the coat with a huff. It didn't matter how he got here, all that did matter was the he was here, and he had a job to do.

And, all things considered, their little operation was running much smoother than he had anticipated. Disregarding the first night's rocky start it seemed that the girls had gone through most of what was down there, and whatever stragglers were left were mopped up by the oldest the next day. The team had already unearthed several lovely chests and the odd relic here and there. These were to be stored and gifted to the Ladies after the week when they would call for their due. Normally Williams would pocket and artifact or two but then he remembered just what family he was dealing with and wisely decided to stuff them all in a safe only he had the key to.

They could have the cursed things for all he cared, just so long as he was getting paid for this. Still, the girls had promised to use the money to fix up the Hamlet, and while Williams trusted a noble about as far as he could toss one (no small feat given their general proclivity for corpulence) it was a thought worth entertaining if only to keep his mind occupied.

There was a crash and Williams spun to see that a column had fallen. Several workers milled about the pile of rubble, a couple still on their backs having just narrowly scrambled away from where it almost collapsed on them.

"Watch what you're doing," Williams hollered, fixing the sheepish looking men with the hardest glare he could muster. "Damn place is a hundred years old, one wrong move and what's left will come down on top of us." Williams waited for the men to nod in agreement before turning away with a huff. But not before getting a good look at their faces, there was no way he was letting them go below ground. The last thing he needed was to have his illustrious career cut short by a cave-in.

Moving along the ranks Williams watched as the men worked. They weren't the brightest lot, nor the hardest workers, nor were they even dependable in all but the most benign of scenarios. But they were cheap, and for Williams that was the best price. You get what you pay for really, and in the event that some of them might perish that just means one less person to pay. There's always more where they came from in the slums after all, and it wasn't like the Hamlet had anything in the way of professionals, volunteer work was the best you were going to get 'round these parts.

A scream brought everything to a standstill. Men dropped shovels, crates, and armfuls of rubble and Williams swiveled on his heels towards the source of the noise. He already had an inkling he knew as to where its origins lay and much to his dismay saw he was correct.

The mouth to the Ruins entrance, what no doubt was once a great and noble gate now long since reduced to debris and half-sunk into the ground, lay before him, foreboding and ominous. Darkness was all it offered, and death was all it promised, like some forgotten passageway into Hades itself.

And apt description, Williams had heard of the rumors. The mutterings and the whispers of the local peasantry. Drunken tales of the walking dead, of phantoms returned to haunt their living descendants, of corpse-eating child-snatchers with lantern eyes and a ghoulish countenance.

He believed them of course, every word.

Still, he had a job to do, and maybe it was just the nips of whiskey from earlier, but all the same Williams found himself walking towards the entrance where by now a sizable crowd of men had begun to spill forth. The men fled with wild abandon, dropping their shovels and pick-axes to the ground as they raced wild-eyed and shrieking into the camp. At first the other workers could only stare at the commotion, but it didn't take long before they too dropped their supplies and began to flee, one by one.

With a snarl Williams reached out and snatched up a young boy by the arm, hauling the squealing youth towards him so he could more properly grasp him round the shoulders.

"Right then, where the bloody hell you think your off to!" Williams shouted, roughly shaking the wide-eyed boy to-and-fro. Trembling like a leaf the boy answered, extending an arm and pointing a shaky finger back off to the entrance.

Williams turned, and his mouth fell open. His hands opened, and the boy tumbled to the ground in a heap. He was distantly aware of the boy at his feet scrambling away on all fours, the screams drowned him out to be honest.

The dead were walking. White bone gleaming underneath rotting scraps of ruined leather, their hideous grinning skulls bare of flesh and muscle, bones rattling and rusted armor creaking as the creatures stalked forward.

An unearthly silence had choked the life out of everyone. What few men who hadn't fled yet or those who hadn't gone far dropped their tools and stood there, still as statues, unable to move or make a sound as the unholy procession poured forth from the open gate, skeletal limbs jerking like poorly animated marionettes as the skeletons forced themselves into the camp. Many waved wooden clubs or hunks of stone in their bony fingers, others clutched swords and axes, others still held lances and halberds, maces and flails, weapons they held dear in life and even in death kept them close.

Alone and separate from the others stood one lone worker, his shovel held up in defense though his hands were shaking, and tears were pouring from his eyes. A skeleton wearing an iron cuirass and a tin helmet approached him. It regarded the man silently for a moment, and then with a creaking of its limbs raised its crossbow. There was a _fethewp_ sound, followed shortly by a _thwack_ , and with something like a moan and a grunt the man fell to the ground, his hands clutched around the bloody shaft of the crossbow bolt sticking out of his stomach.

Somebody screamed and just like that the spell was broken. Williams turned on his heels and ran as the men around him screamed and followed suit.

The pandemonium was immediate and intense. People scrambled, throwing co-workers and friends to the ground as they fled for their lives. The dead moved as one, unnatural and jerky, but faster than Williams had expected. A man to his right was skewered with a javelin and pinned to the ground, squealing like a hog as his hands clawed at the dirt.

Williams cursed but kept running all the same. All around him he could hear similar fates befalling his crew, men screamed and cried out for help, their strangled curses and howls cut short with the wet sound of rending meat and the clang of steel.

The dead surged forth like a tidal wave, deceptively quick, unremitting in their onslaught as they furrowed through the panicked crowds and into the camp. To Williams horror he found it still inhabited, the men that had fled from the ruins had been stopped by their curious fellows and all had gathered in a large mob. Williams screamed at them to run but the sight of the dead paralyzed them much as it had those who'd first caught a glimpse back at the mouth of the tunnels.

Williams turned his head off to the side just in time to see the skeleton of what in life must have been a man of Goliathan proportions bury a flail into a man's head. The weapon crushed the skull, fragments of bone and a surge of blood and brain exploding outwards in a shower of gore, and surged down into the chest with a wet, churning sound. The weapon tore free of the stomach with a squelch as intestines and poured out into a quivering heap as the man's carcass was sent careening off a few meters from the sheer force of the impact.

Williams felt hot bile rise in his throat and he turned his head away from the sight. He wanted to cover his ears to block out the screams but felt it'd be pointless. There was a flash of light in the corner of his eye and Williams realized that one of the tents had been set alight, ignited no doubt by a kerosene lamp carelessly knocked over in the struggle. The fire spread quickly, racing from tent to tent and before Williams eyes the entire camp was cast in a baleful orange glare as men screamed and ran, caught between the fires and the monsters pursuing them.

Many of them choose the inferno, and Williams found their screams to be all the more horrifying.

Some of them had even begun to take up arms, fear and desperation fueling the ever-present instinctual desire to live. With pickaxes and shovels the men armed themselves and waded into the dead, letting their horror and anger overtake them in one last bitter struggle to survive.

A fool's errand, the dead overwhelmed them with their numbers and their weaponry. The horde pursued, walking through the flames like some Demonic incursion from the very fires of Hell, unperturbed by the heat and the very slaughter the caused.

It shook Williams to the bone that. The indifference to it all. Bandits would've screamed and roared and even laughed but this? This was nothing, they weren't eve aware of what they were doing. These old dead things were incapable of such things.

And it was here, trapped by a burning tent, huddled around the meager remains of his workforce, surrounded by the grinning dead, that Williams beheld the very visage of Evil.

It came gliding from the maw of soot and flame, a red cloak shielding its form from the world, head obscured by a hood and features encapsulated so thoroughly in darkness Williams could not make it out. Around its neck the thing wore a collar so heavy it bowed the head, a thing of twisted metal spikes warped into the shape of Terror. Williams recoiled at the unholy symbol and a sort of realization came over him that he was looking at the cause of all this.

It was a Necromancer.

The dead thing glided towards the group and the skeletons followed, heading their master's silent call to arms, mere puppets under the inexorable will of this dread sorcerer, this God-forsaken aberration. It spoke not a word as it approached, cloak billowing, arms outstretched. The robes parted, and Williams saw only the heavy darkness of oblivion waiting for him. The peace of the dead to greet him and the promise of nothingness to embrace him. All that he ever was would be forgotten and not even his bones would get to rest, his carcass made to serve an all-together different purpose after he was expunged.

A roar cut through the silence, banishing the sway it held over Williams who could only cock his head at the noise. Diminished and faded at first, but growing rapidly in cadence and volume, communicating its power through its resolution.

Williams could scarcely believe his eyes as Lambert, the brave old fool, burst through a burning tent, mace and shield held aloft and a fire in his eyes. The first two skeletons were destroyed before anyone could even react, their skulls crushed to fragments of bone under the weight of his weapon, and the old man-at-arms continued his onslaught unabated. With all the traditional fervor and resolute determination of a soldier Lambert hacked his way through the undead mob, his mace striking out at exposed skulls and snapping rusted weapons while his shield protected him from their bony claws and swords and spears. In such close range their weapons proved fruitless as Lambert shoved the last few aside and closed in on his prey.

Williams could see now that the Necromancer was just as tall as Lambert, who despite his age was a strapping tower of a man himself. Lambert reared his mace back over his shoulder and swung his weapon at the fell thing's hooded head. Williams had to have been standing a good ten meters away, but he could still hear the sound that mace made as it tore through the air, descending upon the vile creature responsible for all of this.

The Necromancer reached out and with one hand caught the spiked ball. With its other hand it lashed out and knocked Lamberts shield out of his grip before applying its fleshless talons to the old man's throat. Lifting him high above the ground the Necromancer cocked its head and slowly pulled the mace from Lamberts slackened grip.

Williams felt his chest tighten as the weapon clattered to the ground and all around him the palpable sense of hopelessness weighed heavily in the air.

Slowly, the Necromancer turned to face them, its skeletal horde copying its movements. Williams and the men huddled closer, trapped between a wall of flame on one side and an army of the damned on the other. Given the choice, he liked to think he'd choose the fire. The Necromancer floated towards them, deliberately, still holding the kicking and grunting Lambert in its iron grip.

The Necromancer held Lambert out, facing the crowd of horrified onlookers, all of them much too terrified to even say a word. With its other hand it reached out and grabbed the breastplate, fleshless talons digging into the metal and shearing it off with nary any strain. The metal hit the ground with a resounding _clang_ and the Necromancer paused for a moment. Then it reached back up and gripped the man's chest, fingers piercing the clothe and digging into the skin. It twisted its wrist, digging its skeletal digits deep into the flesh, and then it wrenched.

There was a sick, wet, tearing sound as Lambert's skin was ripped off his frame, exposing the glistening red muscle underneath. The man's screams were muffled by the grip around his throat but that in no way lessened his thrashing as he kicked out his legs and howled. The Necromancer took no real notice, its gaze focused squarely on the men watching the whole spectacle. With a talon it reached out and dragged the point across Lambert's red belly, the organs spilled out onto the ground in a steaming pile and Lambert went still.

The men moaned and cried and even laughed as they succumbed to their terror. Only Williams stood apart from the throng, silent and unmoving, shock and sorrow rooting him to his spot. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The old man was really gone, he had always seemed so invincible, but he was… gone. Just like that. A shudder ran down his spine and Williams suddenly felt very sick and he looked up to see the Necromancer staring right at him. It held up Lambert's skin and waved it at him.

Lambert jerked in the Necromancer's grasp and there was a crunch as his elbow slammed into whatever peered out from the empty blackness beyond the Necromancer's cowl. With an inhuman scream the Necromancer dropped Lambert's quivering body and reared back, hands retreating beneath the hood as it screeched and moaned.

Williams stared for a few seconds then noticed something very important. The skeletons weren't attacking. In fact, they weren't doing much of anything. Just standing there, motionless. Several had even dropped their weapons and a couple went limp to fall apart on the ground. He glanced at the army, then back to the Necromancer, then his eyes flickered over to Lambert…

Williams reached out and smacked the man nearest to him. Then he pushed him off to the right, where even now the fires had begun to recede as the tents smoldered. The man didn't need to be told twice and took to his heels. Williams smacked a few more idlers, he pulled hair and shoved and kicked and even bit to get them moving but once the first couple had taken flight the rest caught on quickly enough and raced off to freedom.

Williams was right there with them, laughing and crying as the heat from the burning campsite behind him slowly abated and he could no longer hear the wretched undead things chasing after them. He'd leave them behind, he'd leave it all behind. Except for Lambert, that he'd take with him. For the rest of his years and down to the very grave.

For now, though, the Hamlet beckoned him. Promising a warm bed and food and safety, shelter from the night and all the terrors it brought with it. Williams sobbed and ran faster than he'd ever run in his whole life.

* * *

Lucy Loud sat silent in her chair as her sisters hustled and jostled around her. Her leg hurt, and the noise wasn't exactly helping her headache, but it was nothing she wasn't used to. And to be honest, hearing her sister's voices, even if there weren't as many as there should've been, was appreciated, comforting even. Why, if she closed her eyes she could almost pretend she was back home.

Not that she got the chance. Ever since she'd woken up Lucy had been accosted near endlessly by her sisters, all of them eager to greet her with hugs and squeals and rapid declarations of love and regrets and further affirmations that everything was going to be fine because they were together now. Lucy knew better of course, but she let them have their fun.

She was still… adjusting really. Being told that you've been taken to some mysterious eldritch hamlet in the middle of a Lovecraftian hellhole to fulfill a prophecy laid out by an ancestor you never knew was a lot to take in. Being told that you were almost sacrificed to a demon by a necromancer was another matter entirely. Lucy, having studied and largely obsessed over the occult all her young life, took the news with all the grace and stoic consideration she was known for. Then she passed out.

She woke back up in the bed sometime later. Leni must've settled her back down, but it wasn't the bubbly fashionista keeping watch over her as she rested. Rather, Lucy had woken up to the sight of her oldest sister, Lori, keeping a faithful vigil over her sister. She hadn't recognized her at first, decked in her armor and weapon at her side, but then she saw her face and in horror and relief called out to her. Lori saw her awaken and touched her face with a tenderness Lucy hadn't come to expect from her oldest sibling. Then she pulled her in for a hug, it was tight and bespoke not of comfort as Leni's had but of a fervent possessiveness, like a man who had gone without water and now clutched at a jug. Lucy sobbed like a child and Lori stroked her hair and pressed the child close to her bosom, soothing her with calm shushes and gentle words.

When Lucy had calmed down Lori gave her a kiss and took her out of the room to an extravagant washroom where started a bath for her. She washed her hair for her like she used to when Lucy was but a toddler, and as she brushed her Lori began recounting the strange circumstances by which the Loud family had been brought to this awful place, a sordid tale of woe and terror, one of violence and evil and Lucy could scarcely believe that her own sisters had committed the ultimate sin. It was inconceivable, especially for Leni, sweet Leni who wouldn't even kill a centipede if she could get someone to take it out of the house. But shock and fatigue had worn down her spirit and Lucy found herself unable to voice these concerns, and moreover found herself powerless to question the incogitable tale her sister had relayed. Instead Lucy just nodded her head, and Lori looked down on her with an odd wistful expression before kissing her again. Then she dried her off, gave her a fresh robe to wear, and brought her down for breakfast where the rest of her sisters waited for her with baited breath and earnest hope.

Lucy looked at Lori now. She had changed, Lucy thought. Physically there were subtle differences, the way she moved for one. Confident as always, but more fluid. When she moved it was with grace and purpose but otherwise she was as immobile as a statue, and Lucy's mind likened it to a crocodile; always tense and ready to strike. She observed the supple muscles on her sister's arms as she reached out for the pot of coffee, the slight bulges rippling under the skin. Nothing grotesque or unnatural, rather the opposite. These were the kind of muscles people who had to fight would come by, not some lump of flesh sculpted by vigorous routine and dieting; practical muscles not for show but for survival. Then Lucy looked at Lori's face and in spite of herself shuddered.

It was an ugly thing, that scar. Started at the hairline it raced down the right side of her face, ducking under the eyepatch covering her right eye, clefting the lip before reaching the chin, running all the way down her face. It was little more than red line and was probably much better off than it had looked like before (or had any right to look like for that matter) but it was still ugly. Lori had always been something of a… well, it was hard to explain. When Lucy looked at Lori she didn't see something vulnerable, her older sister always seemed so in charge of everything; powerful, strong-willed, invincible even. But she wasn't, she was flesh and bone and she could get hurt and even die.

Lori told her the scar had come from the Ghoul, the same monster that had attacked Lucy in the dark tunnels. The dull, throbbing pain in her leg reminded her of what that monster was capable of and it saddened her to know that it had crippled more than one Loud. That Leni of all people had been the one to destroy it, with help from the others of course, was a source of great satisfaction for the young goth.

As Lori drank her coffee, pointedly ignoring whatever it was Luna was yelling at her about (and Luna's temper was another thing Lucy noticed, the rocker had always been fiery but now it seemed like she almost wanted Lori to get angry with her) Lucy realized Lori had also changed mentally. She seemed… distant. Not necessarily cold but she held the others an arm's length away, like they were precious china and she had to be careful with them or else they'd break. It was a disconcerting thing to witness, and when Lucy saw the strained look in Lori's eyes she wondered just how she was really faring. Lori caught Lucy staring and gave the lass a wink, bringing her hand up and clapping the thumb and four other fingers together. Luna caught the sign and redoubled her noise, and Lucy couldn't help but chuckle.

Grabbing her fork Lucy speared some eggs of her plate and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing with gusto and a rare smile on her face. Dad's cooking was good and all, but whoever did the cooking here had to be the best chef in the whole wide world! I mean, eggs, sausages, ham, bacon, flapjacks and French toast, who has time to make all this!? And it's real meat too!

Sigh~

"So then," Lucy muttered through a mouthful of eggs, "what now?"

Luna and Lori stopped arguing and turned their attention to their younger sister. Across the table Leni, who was trying to coax Lola into talking, also looked over and Lisa peered over her book at her sibling.

"What do you mean," Luna asked.

"Well, you found Lola and I didn't you? That must mean the others are here too."

"Oh, well, yeah," Luna replied, shrugging her shoulders. "We haven't found anyone after you though, but we're still looking. We'll never stop." Lori grunted in affirmation and Leni nodded. "We're just taking it one day at a time really," Luna continued.

"Well, you're doing a good job," Lucy said, reaching over to pile some more food onto her plate. "I mean, we've only been here for, what, a few days? You'll find the others soon, I'm sure of it." Lucy resumed eating and might've enjoyed her breakfast for some time if Lola's stare hadn't caught her eyes.

Lucy tried to hold back a shudder as Lola stared at her, wide-eyed and impassive, a small frown on her face. Lucy wasn't one for getting scared easily, but she didn't like people looking at her in the best of circumstances and seeing Lola, one of the loudest little girls Lucy had ever known, act like this was unnerving. She looked… lost. Broken even. Not physically like Lucy had been but mentally. Lucy could only recall brief snippets of her tenure in the Ruins but for Lola it was all still fresh. Poor thing didn't even have her twin with her and Lucy felt her heart pang for her little sister's plight. Nobody should have to go through what happens down there, she wouldn't wish it on even the worst bully.

A cough caught Lucy's attention and she turned her head to see the others reacting oddly. Lori was frowning, her brow knit tight and fists clenched. Leni looked downtrodden, like her somebody had just told her that her newest dress had been eaten by Charles, but it was alright because the dress didn't even look good anyway. Luna wouldn't even look at her, preferring to stare down at the table biting her lip. Only Lisa met her hidden gaze, staring evenly ahead as she dabbed a napkin to her mouth before sighing and crossing her hands across the table.

"Well, dear shibling," she said with her usual lisp, "I musht regretfully inform you that what you have said is unfortunately false. You see, your injuries at the hands of the Cult of Flesh left you, shall we say, catatonic."

"You were, like, in a comma," Leni chirped.

"Coma Leni."

"What does grammar have to do with this?"

As Leni and Lisa argued Lucy sat there, slack-jawed and eyes wide under her bangs. Actually, now that she thought about it, her hair did seem longer, her nails too. And she did seem quite weak, especially in the joints. Was it true then, she'd read stories of waking up from comas before to find their families changed, their estates haunted, the usual stuff. It all added up quite nicely in her case.

"H-how long was I out then?" Lucy asked, and her siblings flinched at the question. Nobody said a word until finally Lori sighed and pushed her chair out to stand up. The oldest Loud walked over to her sister slowly, methodically, and Lucy shivered as Lori knelt in front of her. She tried not to, but she just couldn't help but look at Lori's eye patch, knowing that under there she'd find nothing more than a vacant hole.

"Lucy," Lori whispered, grabbing her sisters gently by the shoulders. "You've been out for a few weeks. We've literally been stuck here for a little over a month now."

Lucy's mouth opened but the slam of a door being thrown open cut her off and everyone at the table spun around to see the spindly, misshapen form of the caretaker shambling into the room.

"Yes, yes, hello, hello," the Caretaker giggled, stuffing his knuckles into his mouth and biting down on them hard enough to draw blood. He looked down at Lucy who had launched herself into her sister's arms at the sight of the odd and frightening man and the wizened creature cocked his head at the sight.

"There's one more," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Are you just bringing in street urchins now?"

"Where's the fire old man," Lori snapped, and the Caretaker started cackling and fidgeting in place.

"Terrible news," the old man whimpered. "The team sent down to the Ruins seems to have been destroyed, devoured, maimed, and otherwise inconvenienced. There's a couple of the men what are still left running about the town and causing a scene. Might have a riot on our hands soon mistress. Haven't had a good riot in a while, think they'll break out the torches?"

"Goddammit!" Lori snapped, grabbing Lucy and placing her back in the seat, carefully making sure her leg was okay before standing up and marching out the door. There was a clattering of silverware as Leni and Luna scarfed down what was left on their plates before rushing off after their sister, begging her to at least give them a chance to change into their uniforms.

Lucy stared at the empty doorway were her sisters had vanished from for some time before slowly looking up at the leathery face of the Caretaker, taking in his rictus smile and yellowed skin. She looked over at Lisa who had already resumed her breakfast. The little genius caught Lucy's stare and merely shrugged, pointing at Lucy's plate with her fork in an effort to encourage the girl to resume her meal. Beside her Lola sat, still as a statue and just as pale.

"I say," the Caretaker suddenly said, placing his hands on his hips. "How is it that you girls always seem to forget to invite me to breakfast every morning?"

* * *

"The End is Night! The End is Nigh! Our doom approaches and there is naught we mere mortals can do but despair!"

This speech was hardly new for those who frequented the Hamlet, anyone who had lived here for more than three minutes had already heard this spiel before. Still, there was something just slightly more disconcerting about the way this new one was carrying on. A little more animated than his fellows, a little more terrified, fueled by something much fresher than decades of despair and general disquieting horror.

Williams ran through the square with wild eyes and flailing arms, grabbing passerby as they tried to duck into alleys or shops, so he could scream in their faces about the dead things that walked by the old ruins, of the things beneath the Earth that had come back incensed by the new land owner's unwavering probing of their hidden depths and their attempts to discern their terrible secrets. He was thrown of, punched, kicked, had rocks thrown at him, but nothing dissuaded him from his cries, his warnings, his tales of what he had seen just a few scant hours ago. The men sent to the Ruins had all died, had been murdered by the dead and the foul sorcerer that had reanimated them, an old horror from the days of the Ancestor and His foul experiments.

And the more Williams raved the more his words stuck in the mind of the peasantry. The more it settled into their hearts. The more it stirred things up. Soon there would be whispers, then shouts, and then the warnings would follow with torches and pitchforks in their wake.

Lori could see it all unfolding before her eyes and was thankful the Caretaker had made her aware of the situation. The whole thing was a powder keg just waiting to go off and the last thing she needed was for some upstart peasant to get a big head and go all Robespierre on their collective asses. Taking stock of the scene Lori found herself recognizing the portly fellow. That was what's-his-face! The fat guy she bought to oversee the whole excavation operation. Where was the other guy, the old soldier?

"Hey!"

Williams turned his heels at the noise. He wasn't the only one, the crowd of people that had begun to gather around him also turned and Lori found herself alone amongst a crowd of scared civilians. For a moment Lori regretted not waiting for Leni and Luna to get ready before heading out, but the oldest Loud swallowed her worries and stepped towards the shivering man.

"You!" Williams shouted, pointing a shaky finger at Lori. "I know you, you're the one that sent me into the serpent's den, into that nest of horrors!"

Lori shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"…Well it was a shitty thing to do!" Williams cried, throwing his hands up. "We were slaughtered like lambs led to the butcher's. Only a handful of my men are left. All of our gear, our findings, gone!"

Lori bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. "Look," she said, glancing at the muttering crowd that surrounded her, "why don't you just explain to me what exactly happened."

Lori's attempt at trying to diffuse the situation went right over William's head as the man began to laugh. "What happened? What happened! In our hubris, under YOUR orders, we delved into that unholy place and paid the ultimate price. The dead swarmed out from the darkness and were upon us like rats over a lame hog!" The man's cries suddenly degenerated into sobs and he doubled over. Lori felt a pang of something in her chest go out for him and she took a step towards him.

William's hand lashed out and grabbed Lori's wrist with a strength she hadn't expected from his pudgy frame. He pulled Lori in and gave her a wide grin, showing off all his teeth as his wide-eyes bored into hers.

"You don't get it. IT'S out there. I saw IT!"

Lori fought the urge to deck the man in the face as she nodded her head and leaned in.

"The Necromancer?" Lori asked, and grunted when the man whimpered and shrank into himself at the mere mention of that horrible creature.

Satisfied with her answer Lori grabbed the man's face and shoved him away, already on her feet and turning away when he hit the dirt. As she stalked off down the road the people parted before her, their whispers and mutterings clear in her ears though she gave not one of them the time of day.

"W-wait," William cried after her, hauling himself to his feet as he watched the Lady of the Hamlet walk off. From her stride alone, he could tell she meant business and her intentions were as clear as lamplight in the dark of night. But still, he had to ask, he had to make sure. For surely, she couldn't be so foolish, so headstrong as to assume she could…

"You're not, you're not going to fight that thing!?" Williams cried, sucking in a breath when Lori stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. "A-are you?"

Lori narrowed her eyes at him and kept walking. The murmurs increased, but there seemed to be the hint of something else there. Not the sharp edge of hostility, but against all odds, admiration. Respect even.

And perhaps, against all reason, just a hint of hope.

* * *

Lucy observed the library, reveling in its spaciousness and taking in all it had to offer. Which was, to say, books. It offered books.

And not just the average selection either. Great tomes of laws and guidelines, records and deeds, names that went back as far as generations, detailing explicitly who owned what and where. And right there in the center of it all Lucy saw hers.

Lucy Loud, Lori Loud, Leni Loud, Luna Loud and all the way down to Lisa. Why not Lily, Lucy wondered before putting the thought out of her mind. She wasn't sure if she could bear knowing Lily was in this mess too, it would be too much.

It was almost too much knowing that after a month the others still hadn't been found yet. Were they even alive?

Lucy shook her head, trying to dispel such thoughts. It wouldn't do any good to think like that, not for her and not for them. Imagine if her sisters had entertained such delusions, then Lola and her would still be down there, moldering in the darkness.

And on that note Lucy found herself yet again regarding her younger sister. The fashionista had seen better days, he hair in disarray and features lacking the makeup Lucy was accustomed to seeing. Not that she was ugly of course, but Lola prided herself on upholding a high-maintenance lifestyle so seeing her like this was a rather uncomfortable wake-up call for Lucy.

She just sat there, staring at nothing. Her eyes wide and baggy, hair disheveled, tiny body trembling as she wrenched her hands together. Occasionally, she'd suddenly stand up and make for the door, but Lisa would quickly abandon her tasks and race after her, pulling the silent blonde back in without fuss or restraint and setting her down where she was.

A safety precaution, Lisa had told her. Lola had developed a habit for wandering and it made the staff nervous. The two Chefs had repeatedly told Lisa to keep their sister away from them (they found her creepy) and just the other day Lori had found her standing on a windowsill looking down over the Hamlet. That had been quite the scare and it was agreed that until such a time it was no longer deemed necessary Lola was not allowed out of anyone's sights and that it would be the responsibility of Leni to look after her. Of course, Leni also had to go on missions. Which meant that when she wasn't here it fell on Lisa to look after her older sister.

 _Joy._

And it was for this reason, among others of course, that Lisa was most thankful she had her spooky elder sister back home. Though the morbid little lass wasn't much for following anyone anywhere the goth was entrusted with the sacred duty of watching Lola like a hawk while Lisa poured over the documents procured for her by the local fiefdoms, duchies, townships, merchants, constabularies, pie shops, and what-have-you's. Such exciting activities including taxes, reconstruction of the town, treasury management, and a wide assortment of other odds and ends were entrusted to the little genius and while she might've been in her element it was somewhat frustrating for the four-yr. old that it fell on her to make sure this absolute hovel they owned didn't go bankrupt. Frankly the place was hemorrhaging funds at this point, and if she wasn't so certain the key to departing this wretched land lay in repairing it.

Lisa stopped writing to turn her head up and look at Lola, who to her immense satisfaction was still sitting there. Lisa then cast her gaze over to her other sister in the room, eyeing Lucy intently as the raven-haired neophyte of darkness read some no doubt macabre tome she'd selected from the library around her. The library had been mostly bare when Lisa and the others first got here but after making her rounds around town and receiving generous "donations" from the locals Lisa had managed to build up something resembling the beginnings of a decent collection.

"How'sh your leg," Lisa asked, and Lucy slowly turned her head up to look at her sister.

"As black and twisted as my soul," Lucy said, as monotone as ever, and went back to reading.

Lisa snorted at her sister's tone and words. At least she seemed to be getting on well enough. Granted she was used to disturbing themes and imagery, but it probably helped that Lucy couldn't really remember what had happened to her. According to the goth it had felt more like a dream than reality, and Lisa was thankful for this. She shuddered to think what might happen should Lucy be forced to bear the full brunt of what she had endured, and Lisa shuddered as she cast a quick sidelong glance over to Lola still sitting there silently in her chair.

Lisa went back to her writing and endeavored to experiment more on her medicines. They had proven quite capable both in and off the field, though she couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly made them so effective. Same with her Blight potions, though the technical minded Loud wisely decided to desist in persisting the issue concerning her unlimited supply of glass bottles.

Best to just chalk that one up to the anomalous qualities of this particular dimensional sub-space, the same force that no doubt governs Leni's nebulous mystical abilities, Luna's infinite ammo supply, and the moving skeletons of course. Can't forget the moving skeletons!

No matter how hard you try…

Lisa quickly glanced at Lucy from the corner of her eyes and only when she was absolutely sure that Lucy wasn't watching did she reach into her robes and oh-so-discreetly fish out a small metal flask. With a quick tilt of her head Lisa downed a sip and hastily stuffed the container back into the confines of her cloak. She took a deep breath, held out her hands until they stopped quivering, and picked her pencil back up.

Nothing wrong with it, she thought to herself as she resumed her work. Just a quick little pick-me-up, something to settle her nerves. It wasn't like she was actually a kid, she could handle a sip or two if she felt like it. It was just like home, if these people wanted to saddle her with all the responsibilities of landownership then they had no reason to question her maturity!

Unbeknownst to Lisa as she fidgeted and muttered to herself Lucy's eyes flickered unseen beneath her long bangs, fluttering away from her sister. For a brief moment they settled on her leg, and Lucy's hand traveled down, slowly, until it hovered just over the twisted thing. She examined it, taking note of the way the bone pushed against the skin here, how the muscle had been deteriorated and altered. Her hand slowly descended onto the limb and she winced as flare of pain raced up her spine into her brain. She stuffed a fist into her mouth to stifle her whimpers and screwed her eyes shut.

There was the faint squeaking of leather and wood, a general rustling of cloth, and finally a light pressure on Lucy's shirt, a mere tugging soft enough not to prove annoying but incessant enough to ensure it didn't go ignored. Lucy opened her eyes and beheld the visage of Lola in front of her, the waifish little blond said not a word as she stared straight at her older sister. It was so odd, Lucy thought to herself, Lola had always been one to voice her mind but from what the others had told her she hadn't said a single word for over a month now.

Lucy couldn't help but gasp as Lola leaned in and wrapped her tiny arms around her sister's body, pulling Lucy in for a tight but gentle hug, leaning in just enough to sink into her but holding her legs away so they wouldn't brush up against Lucy's. And in spite of everything Lucy held dear the morbid little girl couldn't find even the barest inclination to stifle the tears billing up in her eyes, and so instead she returned the gesture and held her little sister close to her chest in a warm embrace.

Off to the side Lisa watched them, her mouth set in a tight, thin line. Suddenly she slammed her pen on the table and stood up. "That doctor," Lisa began, "wouldn't know a tibia from a tuba. Let me see that leg, at the very leasht I can fashion shome kind of shplint for you."

As her sisters fussed over her Lucy couldn't help but let a ghost of a smile grace her pale features.

Somehow, it just felt so much better than being unseen.

* * *

The non-too subtle stench of rot permeated the air for miles around, a thick miasma that settled in the lungs and made you cough up thick wet ropes of phlegm. Lori had smelt it enough that she couldn't remember how she reacted the first time, all it meant to her now was a beacon to lead her in the right direction. Not that she really needed directions, she'd been to the Ruins so many times now that she had no need for maps or compasses, the route inlaid in her brain.

Still, perhaps she should've waited for her siblings, if only because the greater numbers might've dissuaded those bandits earlier. Then again, it didn't really matter in the end, they went down all the same. Lori had no problem fighting the living anymore, as far as she was concerned they were the same as the dead, just squishier. Made more noise too. She left their broken bodies lying in the road, hopefully her sisters would see them and hurry the hell up, as brazen as she was she didn't fancy entering those underground crypts without them.

But she would. She had to. This might be their only chance to nail that bastard.

The Necromancer, one of three according to that lunatic housekeeper of theirs but who knows if he was telling the truth or not. She was inclined to believe him all the same, if only because it made some sort of sick sense.

She'd been hunting him… it? Whatever. In the dark she searched, scrounged, scouring hidden byways and dank tunnels for the faintest hint of its presence. All that could be found were the moving dead and other unsavory creatures that dwelled in the dark, with the odd bandit clan or cultist camp to liven things up.

Finding him it was their goal, but things had gotten personal. It had taken Lucy from her. Lori could still remember her tiny, broken, still body; her pale flesh marred with red. It was almost too much sometimes, she honestly hadn't expected her to ever wake up. Now she was back, her baby sister was back, and she was never losing her again. She wasn't losing any of them ever again. And now the monster had been found. Drawn out into the open. This was just her lucky day wasn't it, almost made her want to smile.

When she came across the camp Lori felt the stirrings of something in her chest, the very same something she felt when Williams sobbed as he recalled the fates of his men. And just like then Lori shoved it down her throat and back into her stomach where it welled up and settled, thick as tar. She couldn't let herself feel it, not now. If she did…

Lori's hand raced up towards her face and the teen grunted as her mailed fist collided with her jaw. With her ears ringing and lip bleeding Lori spat onto the ground as her face fell back into a frown and her eyes narrowed.

…It didn't matter. The men served their part. Better than expected too, they'd even managed to secure some treasures apparently. She'd have to take Lisa's suggestion to use them as excavation seriously now. After all, after she'd taken care of this Necromancer there'd be no need for bait, and it'd be safe enough to leave them on their own. Yes, this could work out!

 _Trouble yourself not with the cost of this crusade - its noble end affords you broad tolerance in your choice of means._

Feeling unexpectedly chipper and overall pleased with herself Lori picked up a brisk pace as she sauntered into the ruined campsite, taking in the still smoldering remains of tents, turning her nose up at the smell of burning flesh and leather. There weren't any bodies, plenty of evidence that something had happened, viscera and the like scattered about, but no bodies. She wasn't surprised, making dead stiff's get back up again was kinda this thing's M.O. after all, and it made getting around this place a little easier too.

Lori kicked at the dirt and felt a ghost of a grin scrawl its face across her scarred face. It wasn't like she needed the bodies anyway, they'd have made a nice trail sure but the sheer amount of people that had been through here had left ample physical evidence. All she needed to do was follow the footprints and hopefully they'd lead her to the right place.

"Hey, Lori, wait up!"

Lori felt her eye twitch a bit and she sighed as she glanced over her shoulder at the noise. Yep, here they come, 'bout time her sisters showed up. Leni was looking about the ruined remains of the camp with a frown on her face, no doubt trying to see if she could find any survivors or people to help. Luna didn't bother, her narrowed eyes were focused right on Lori as she half-marched, half-sprinted up the hill towards her older sister. Lori snorted and shook her head, kneeling at the ground to get a better look at those footprints.

It took them a minute or two to reach her, and by the time they'd made it Luna had worked herself up into a tiff. It was one thing for Lori to go off before them even when she told them she'd wait, it was another for her to get the crowd's riled up back in town and leave them to deal with it, but it was something else entirely for Lori to just ignore her like that.

"Well, I hope it was worth it," Luna chirped, her face set in a strained smile as she stared down at Lori. "Get everything you need? Learn a lot from that dirt there? Because we might've learned a lot more from the man in the square if you hadn't just left him there! I mean really Lori!? You didn't think to ask him any other questions, didn't think to bring him along? No, of course not, why do that when you could just run off ahead of the rest of us! Did you even have a plan, dude!"

Luna paused for a second to put her hands on her hips and glare down at her sister, her foot tapping away. If Lori had even heard any of that she wasn't paying it any mind, her sister's rant going right over her head as she poked around in the dust, her hand tracing the boot prints back towards the ruins.

Luna raised her hands up high in the air and closed her mouth as a muffled scream filled the air. As Luna punched at the air and snarled swears under her breath Leni delicately skirted around the irate rocker and stood over her kneeling sister with a soft smile only slightly hindered by the look of quiet desperation in her wide eyes as she reached down and grabber her older sisters shoulder.

"Now Lori," Leni began, calmly, gently, like talking to a wild animal, "I think what Luna is trying to say is that we all work best as a team, and for the team to work we all need to, like, be reading the same book."

"On the same page, Leni." Lori said, not even looking up.

"Right. So, what is the plan then?" Lori looked up at that and stared into Leni's open eyes as the fashionista tried her best to smile without it coming across as completely forced. It didn't work but Lori appreciated the effort all the same.

With a groan Lori planted her mace into the ground and pushed herself to her feet, all the while her eyes trained on the clear path that had been made in the ground. The footprints had been somewhat hard to follow, what with the terrified workers running helter-skelter, but then Lori realized she'd been looking at it all wrong. She didn't need to try and find out which came from the workers and which came from the skeletons, all she had to do was follow the mass. After all the skeletons had chased the men out of the ruins, right? And to think she was making this way harder than it had to-

"Lori?"

The oldest Loud blinked and twitched a little as Leni's hand gripped her shoulder and the second oldest quickly let go and backed up a step or two. Behind her Luna tensed but slowly eased when Lori breathed out and turned around to face her siblings.

"Right," Lori began, "I left because we needed to hurry. That dead bastard has been dodging us for a month now, no matter how many skeletons we kill or totems we smash he's never there. This time though we got a lead, and we need to get down there and follow through with it before he gets away again. We literally can't lose this guy again girls, and I don't want to wait around for another month for him to show up again."

With that said Lori turned on her heels and began following the impression left in the dirt from dozens of skeletal warriors. It led to one of the openings in the Ruins, though one she couldn't really recall using before. Not that it mattered, there were literally hundreds of open doors and passages plunging into those forgotten depths, and Lori would personally go through each and every one of them if it meant nailing this creep. Behind her Leni and Luna both looked at each other, Leni's expression one of concern where Luna's fell somewhere more along the line of exasperation.

"You want a plan?"

Both sisters turned their heads back towards Lori who was looking at them from over her shoulder. She looked at them in silence for a few seconds before her one eye narrowed and she turned her head back forward and began walking again.

"Don't die. There's your plan."

Leni sighed, and Luna growled as their sister's words reached them and the second oldest Loud flashed her rockin' sister a half-lidded glare as Luna brushed past her after Lori. Leni couldn't understand this, this tension that had built up between them, such blatant and omniscient hostility was unknown to her and it was starting to take its toll on the young girl's sense of hope.

On the one hand, yes, things were strange, and they were scary, and she knew this was serious. She wasn't stupid for God's sake, she'd almost died enough to understand the severity of it all! But it should've brought them all together, not torn them apart. But now things were different, Luna was getting testier with each day, butting heads with Lori, sneaking off into the Hamlet after fights. And Lori wasn't much better. The oldest Loud had turned cold, distant, ever since she lost her eye especially. Lori's temper was always bad but lately it had gotten even worse, she was always tense and on-edge, like she was wound too tightly and left on a hair-trigger's notice. Leni worried about her the most, ever since she'd first let her hear just how bad she was feeling after that first experience in the dungeon; she worried how Lori felt, how she seemed to laugh sometimes when she fought the skeletons, how sometimes Leni heard her whispering to herself like she was talking to someone-

"Leni! Hurry up!"

Leni jumped a bit at Lori's voice and hiked up her habit as she scurried off after her sisters. The opening to the dungeon was dark and foreboding, even in the gloomy light of day, and the torch Lori was holding did little to offer any sort of solace or comfort in the face of such unrelenting darkness. Leni followed her sisters in without even a flinch, she had no cause to fear the darkness.

* * *

"You said something about a doctor?"

Lisa tapped her pen against the table a few times in frustration as she poured over the documents piled on her desk. The local watering hole was requesting funds to help repair, well so was literally every other building in the town. They were all too willing to let their businesses fall to ruin on their own but the second an authority figure steps in suddenly it's their fault and they need to help fix it all.

"Lisa?"

Lisa blinked and slowly raised her head up, straightening her glasses as she looked over at her black-haired sibling. Lucy was fairing a little better now with a splint secured tightly to her leg, it was probably too late to truly fix the limb and Lucy didn't exactly seem keen on the idea of breaking it again and trying to set it properly, but hopefully this way she'd be able to walk a little better. Perhaps in time, and given the right resources, Lisa could furnish some sort of device to help expedite the process of movement, some sort of leg brace to-

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked, bringing the book down to her lap and leaning forward to peer at her distracted sister. Next to her Lola sat on the ground drawing on a piece of paper, either unaware of the conversation or uncaring.

Lisa coughed into a fist and looked up at her gothic sibling, flashing a sheepish grin as she put her pen on the desk. "Err, yesh. What'sh thish about a doctor? Is your leg hurting again?"

"No, it's fine," Lucy said, shifting her leg and hoping her sister didn't see her wince just then. Truth be told her leg was fine so long as it wasn't being moved, Lucy didn't know much of anything concerning surgery, but she did know her leg probably wasn't well taken care of while she was in her coma. Granted, the fact that she was still alive considering the lack of medical equipment, proper staff, and the fact her sisters were just as clueless as she was, is nothing short of a miracle. Her sisters were all likely too preoccupied with making sure she stayed alive to pay much attention to her leg.

"Hmm, right," Lisa muttered, narrowing her eyes and looking altogether unconvinced. Lucy gave her a nervous smile and the tiny genius finally snorted and shifted her eyes back down towards the papers on her desk. "Then I'm afraid I musht ask you to repeat the question," she said, picking up several documents and patting the edges against the desk until they were all nice and straight.

"You said something about a doctor earlier, right?"

Lucy's question hung in the air for a few seconds as Lisa mulled it over. "Ah," she finally said, "yesh, the one in town. We took you to see her after we retrieved you from the Ruins." Lisa nodded her head and picked up her pen again.

"What town?"

Lisa blinked once, twice, then her face screwed up in confusion before the enormity of Lucy's question finally dawned on her and Lisa could only slowly raise her head and look at her clearly confused sister.

"Did we sherioushly forget to mention the Hamlet?"

Lucy slowly nodded, and it was all Lisa could do but smack her head and groan in frustration.

"Right. Of course, we did. You'll have to forgive ush shibling but we've been a bit, well, out of sorts as of late." The young genius paused for a bit to wipe off her glasses and with a sigh and flourish of her cloak Lisa laid her chin in her hands and began her tale. "Now then, Lori no doubt told you the tale of her ventures here. How the three of them made their way through the road until they met me and came into possession of this castle, correct?" Lisa waited until her sister nodded before continuing. "And she told you of this Anceshtor, yesh?"

Lucy nodded again, but knew she'd have to press that particular issue again. It was a frequent fantasy of hers to learn they had a long-distant family member that possessed a dreaded and haunted castle for them to inherent, but now that it's actually happened Lucy wondered if they could possibly put up a for-sale sign.

"Well then, it would appear that all she forgot to mention wash that in addition to this opulent reshidence of ours we are also in posseshion of a Hamlet. Beyond these walls lie many homes and businesses, a church here, a tavern there, I believe a smithy as well, some shops and a marketplace, an old harbor down by the coast, the usual fare I sushpect." As Lisa talked she waved her hand about in what no-doubt passed for her as a dramatic flair and Lucy had to admit she seemed somewhat more animated than usual. "All very boring shtuff really, just more for me to manage. Nothing I didn't already do at home jusht at a larger scale you understand."

Lucy pondered this information for a bit. It was one thing to inherent a castle, but a whole town? They were just kids; shouldn't there be a mayor or a senator in charge or something? Does that make them royalty? She could get used to being called a countess all things considered. Also, it was no small wonder Lisa seemed so stressed.

"Well," Lucy finally said, "can we go see it?"

Lisa snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Now? Certainly not, at least not until your leg is feeling better. I'll have to scrounge up some material to make you a proper brace, I think. Also, I don't think Lori would be all for it, she's not too keen on the idea of us being out and about in that place without her, and from what I've seen of it I don't blame her. Thish place is sick Lucy, and the further we stay from it the better. Perhapsh later, when you've healed, you can ashk her to walk you about, or maybe Leni."

Having said her peace Lisa turned her attention back to her papers and picked up her pen, eager to resume her work. It was a thankless job, but somebody had to do it. Preferably somebody with the necessary intelligence to properly assess the incessant-

"What do you mean?"

Lisa dropped her pen to the table and let out a quick, sharp sigh as she turned her head back towards Lucy, who quite frankly didn't seem to give half a shit about the fact that she was distracting her sister. This was because she didn't, Lucy had been stuck in a coma for a month and woke up a cripple after being attacked by a monster and stabbed by a cultist; as far as she was concerned she could ask whatever damn questions she felt like and Lisa would just have to get over it.

The two of them stared at each other for some time before Lisa's eyes suddenly swerved back to the table and the young scientist seemingly shrank into herself.

"Can't you feel it?" Lisa asked, and the croak in her voice gave Lucy pause. From the corner of her eye Lucy could see Lola suddenly stiffen, the pen she'd been using to draw with fell from her hand as she went completely still.

Lucy licked her lips and asked, "Feel what?"

Lisa didn't answer immediately, looking down at her open palms as if the answer could be found in the tiny calluses on her hands. It worried Lucy that Lisa couldn't quite explain what was happening to her, Lisa always knew what was going on and for her to be unable to put into words, to even recognize this, was something that troubled her greatly and for the first time in her life Lucy wished that Lisa would start going off on one of her tangents-

"IT!" Lisa shrieked, slamming her fists onto the table and scattering her papers off the side. Lucy jumped in her chair and Lola crawled over to the chair and pressed her face into her sister's side. Lucy opened her mouth but found nothing coming out as Lisa turned to look at her, her eyes wide and face set in a grimace.

"Everything!" Lisa continued. "Nothing is right here. It's all wrong, it looks wrong, it feels wrong. Have you noticed the sun hasn't risen, not once?! It's either pitch black outside or just dark, one or the other! Why does Luna's gun never run out of ammo, why can Leni set things on fire by shouting Latin, why do skeletons walk, why do I hear the unceasing, incessant, unrelenting noise of it all?!"

Lucy grabbed Lola and pulled the whimpering child onto her lap, ignoring the stabbing pain in her leg as she tried to shuffle further back into her seat as Lisa leapt onto her desk and started waving her arms around.

"It's impossible. None of this can possibly be real, and yet, here we are! We cannot argue that this isn't reality, but it certainly isn't the one we're accustomed too. Is that the lesson here, is there even such a thing as reality? Or is it all in our heads, is it all just a dream? A dream of our making?" Lisa whimpered and buried her head in her hands before looking up at her sister again.

Lucy's mouth opened in a silent scream as Lisa regarded her with empty, black eye sockets.

"Or is it something else's dream entirely, and we're just its nightmares?"

There was something like the sound of thunder as the door to the study was literally kicked open with enough force to send it slamming into the wall. Lisa blinked at the noise and Lucy gaped as she saw her little sister's eyes go back to normal and the young girl rubbed her head with an expression of both confusion and perhaps a little pain.

"Aha, there you girls are," a voice racked by age and infirmity croaked out, and Lucy turned to see the strange old man from earlier come waddling in, bowed by the weight of the tower of books he held in his arms. "Heard strange voices coming from in here. How lovely! Been a while since I've been possessed myself," he chirped, setting the books down on the desk next to Lisa who was now seriously wondering how she got up there. The Caretaker looked over at Lucy and gave a wistful sigh. "Ahhh, memories."

Lucy gave the odd man a strained smile and quickly nodded her head, not entirely sure what he was talking about. Lisa had filled her in on the strange fellow, he was obviously addled but ultimately meant no harm, so long as you didn't sneak up on him… or look him in the eye… or get too close to him.

At Lucy's side Lola started shuffling and heaved herself over the side of the chair and to the ground where she continued her drawing. Lucy wondered why Lola had joined her to begin with, or when she did for that matter. It was odd, but she just couldn't remember, and the more she tried the more it eluded her…

Lisa coughed into her fist and brushed off her cloak with all the dignity a four-yr. old can muster, slowly getting on her hands and knees and easing herself off the desk and back into her chair.

"Y-yes," Lisa stammered, "well then, er… What do you have for ush then?"

The Caretaker grinned down at the small child with something like a mix of affection and disdain in equal measure. Lisa in turn scowled right back and snorted at him.

"I shwear to God if you jusht came in here to piss on the rug again-

The Caretaker held out his arms and unceremoniously dropped the pile of books onto the desk, scattering and flattening the various document and papers she had already stacked. From there he began to rummage through the pile, throwing old and dusty tomes to the floor as he tried to find what he needed. Lisa looked ready to object such barbarous literary treatment but as cut off by a shout of triumph and all the girls in the room watched as the Caretaker grabbed up a moderately thick grimoire and held it aloft with a savage grin.

"Here we are," the man chuckled, setting the book down in front of Lisa who now seemed quite interested in what the Caretaker had delivered to her. "A little something the Master had during his time in charge, it certainly helped speed things along," the man continued, opening the book and showing Lisa its contents. "Had to dust it off, fix it up a bit, but I do believe it's more or less restored."

Lisa straightened her glasses and stood up in her seat, peering over the contents with a critical gaze. From her seat Lucy sat up and with a grunt slowly heaved herself off the chair and onto the floor. She flinched as her leg was forced to bear her weight, but the pain abated after a fashion and Lucy began to hobble over to the desk to catch a peek herself.

It was a large, black, thick book; one with an ornate cover of golden sigils and runes, a veritable tome though not the sort Lucy had suspected. This wasn't some ancient thing of forbidden knowledge; why, there wasn't even a single spell or dark ritual in the whole thing! No, from what Lucy could tell as her sister flipped through the book it was filled with nothing more than… pictures? Yes, pictures. Incredibly detailed drawings of buildings and people. Yes, images of houses and businesses, usually in threes, in varying stages of disrepair until the final image wherein she could only assume opulence had been restored. The people that accompanied these structures were all dour looking unwholesome creatures, shadows covering their eyes and each with a grim countenance to their person.

Lisa muttered to herself as she turned page after page, eyes flickered between images as she scanned the scattered text on each page. As she combed through the tome Lisa found that some pages were not part of the book proper, additional documents and papers stuffed between the pages haphazardly. Lisa would pick these up as she came to them and Lucy noticed that with each one Lisa read her smile became just a bit wider, her hair a bit more disheveled, and a growing manic energy in her eyes and her movements.

"Ish thish," Lisa finally said, lowering her glasses and peering at the book, "ish thish really it?" Lisa lifted the documents and Lucy stared at them, spying such prevailing keywords like 'Deed' or 'Property Lease'. The whole scenario felt almost unreal for the young goth, and she was at once reminded of the usual contrivances her own preferred genres were rife with, or one of Lori's teen drama shows, or Lincoln's comics…

… _Lincoln_

Lucy brought a hand up to her heart and grabbed her nightgown tight, squeezing the cloth so tight her little fingers ached. With a shudder Lucy blinked away the stinging wetness welling up in the corners of her eyes and moaned into an open palm. She wanted Lincoln back, she wanted Lynn back, she wanted to see Lana again, she wanted to hear one of Luan's corny jokes.

She wanted her family.

Lucy's outburst went unnoticed by her siblings, Lola, who wasn't aware of much of anything at the moment, was far more interested in her drawings of gore-encrusted skeletons and the profane rituals of those who dwell in darkness, and Lisa was currently too busy flipping through the pages of her new favorite book ever.

"So, I don't need to go through all these shtupid documents, no more long nights searching unceashingly for deeds or contracts, no more lettersh or whiny peashants?!" Lisa all but squealed, her tiny voice shaking with beatific excitement.

The Caretaker giggled and scratched his backside. "Nope! The late master had the good sense to keep copies lying around, so all you need is right there, just make sure you have the gold and I'll make sure it happens." The Caretaker's grin was all jagged, yellow teeth but Lisa was so happy she decided against giving him another lecture of the benefits of proper oral hygiene.

"Also," the Caretaker suddenly whispered, giving Lisa pause as the leathery creature bent over the desk with a sharp crack, "don't put much stock into what the riff-raff say. I don't mean to be rude, but sometimes I feel they might all be-" and here the Caretaker paused to glance around the room suspiciously before whispering into her ear, "-just a bit crazy."

The old man stood back up, patted the by now thoroughly nonplussed Lisa on her head, and with a jaunty little wave over the shoulder skittered out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Lisa straightened her glasses, gave a little cough, and searched her mind for something appropriate to say, preferably something long-winded and concerning the fickle fates and the minds of men. After a good thirty seconds she had nothing and so conceded defeat with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Well, at leasht I no longer have to concern myshelf with unneceshary legal procedures and subshidiaries, freedom never tantalized the tashtebuds so enthushiatically!"

With a bit of a cackle Lisa flipped through the pages of her book, noting the detail put into just how much treasure would be needed to upgrade the Hamlet. This place was a cesspit, a literal hell on earth as far as she was concerned, but perhaps with enough gold she could make it a little presentable. Getting the gold might be a problem, especially if the teams she sent out kept dying, but that could be handled with time if need be…

Lisa blinked and reared her head back, pushing her glasses up her nose and staring down at the book with wide eyes.

"Uh, Lucy, some asshistance please."

Lucy sniffled and hastily drew the back of her hand across her eyes before brushing down her bangs and turning back to her sister. As she joined Lisa behind the desk, she peered at the book Lisa held out for her and drew back with a gasp.

It was them, there they were plain as day. Their names on the paperwork, on the deeds and the leases, on the contracts and charters. Lori Loud. Leni Loud. Luna Loud, Luan Loud, Lynn, Lincoln, Lisa!

… _Lucy Loud_

Neither said anything as Lisa rifled through the book. Trembling fingers plucked desperately at old leather, wide eyes frantically scrutinized and scoured the yellowed pages for names and references to their family, shallow breaths soon filled up the room to accompany the sounds of creaking paper as the flickering candle light cast a grim pallor on Lucy and Lisa's faces.

And all the while Lola watched from the corner, her eyes wide and limned red as she stared unblinkingly at her sisters.

Lisa turned another page and stopped. There, tucked into the book, was another loose document, a large piece of parchment folded in half. Her breath stopped in her throat, the blood in her veins froze, and a shiver crawled its way down her spine.

She was afraid. She didn't know why but she was afraid. There was something here, she didn't know what or how or why, but she knew there was something and every instinct in her head and her chest warned her that if she opened this, if she saw what was inside, it would destroy her.

By the time Lisa had realized she was picking up the parchment she knew it was too late.

The paper unfolded with a series of gentle cracks, it's dry, rough skin crackling from disuse and age. Lisa glanced at the contents and she heard static, only distantly aware of her sister hovering over her shoulder behind her, peering down with bangs held up and mouth hanging open.

It was a family tree.

 _Their_ family tree.

Lisa couldn't breathe, her chest tightened until it ached, and she could feel each heartbeat reverberate in her bones, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from what she was seeing.

There they were, plain as day. From Lori to Lily the entire Loud Clan had been named with exquisite penmanship and above each name she could see a portrait of the corresponding sister. Each girl had been gussied up in some atrocious excuse for fanciful airs, dresses more frills and laces than anything else, and were posed in manners that could only be described as regal, dry humorless gazes fixed on their face and Lisa could only focus on the wrongness of it all. These weren't them, these weren't the Louds! Lisa glanced at each portrait, gritting her teeth at each passing second, and moved up the chain of command, so to speak.

What she found proved her hypothesis, and for perhaps the first time in her life she cursed her prowess of scientific inquiry.

"Mom and Dad," Lucy whispered, her voice tiny and frail as she pointed a trembling finger at the portraits of their parents situated just above their children. Lisa swallowed the rising bile in her throat and merely nodded her head, eyes glancing over to their father's entry in the family tree.

Sir Lynn Loud Sr., the ornate writing so lovingly detailed, and were it not for those words Lisa would have had a hard time making the connection. This man was not her father; it looked like him, it had his nose, his face, his male pattern baldness, but it wasn't him. Her father didn't scowl, her father didn't have such cold, dead eyes, her father was loving and boisterous and passionate not this stuffy beast! Wearing the clothes of a duke or some other variety of noble the man that shared her father's name but was not her father was poised rigidly, her eyes cold and hard and mouth pressed into a tight grimace as he glared out of the page and for a second Lisa was filled with the irrational fear that he was looking at her and that he was _disgusted_!

Lisa glanced over to the right and immediately found that whatever hopes for comfort she so instinctively sought in the familiar visage of her mother were to be dashed. This woman, this Lady Rita Loud, was no more her mother than the other man was her father. Dressed in all the fine airs of a countess Rita lacked the fierceness of her husband's gaze but made up for it in coldness, in unwavering disinterest. Lisa looked into those eyes and found them lacking, there was no love in that gaze, no mother's grace or compassion. There was ice in those eyes, and it was enough to make Lisa tremble at the very thought of that steely gaze ever being focused on her.

Lisa tore herself away from her parents and took in the rest of the document. There were others, so many others, names and faces covered each and every inch of the paper. Some she could put names too, faces she only barely recognized at the occasional family reunion, distant relations the family only passingly kept in touch with. But there were others, people Lisa knew she wasn't related too, people she knew were intruders on her life, on her history, on her family!

The thought of it made her blood boil. The very suggestion that this was possible, that some book could just say these things, just show these things that weren't true, that would _never_ be true, and say that they were made her feel… made her feel…

 _...VIOLATED_!

Lisa tracked this… this _thing_ to its source, her eyes flickering to the very top.

And there he was.

The Ancestor.

He had no lines, nothing to indicate who in the family he was related to by blood or marriage, nothing to suggest he belonged to them, or vice versa.

 _A trespasser._

The statue of him in the town square was a course, rough thing that only showed the barest hints of any real facial features aside from his somber eyes; the only thing it could communicate about him was his refined tiredness, and Lisa quickly found there would be no further light shed today on this mysterious figure seemingly from her past.

The face in the picture had been smudged, as if somebody had taken their thumb to the drawing and wiped it as though it were naught but fresh ink. She could make out no delicate features, no distinguishing marks, just a vague shape of a man that communicated only his dour countenance and stooped posture.

She glanced down and found that the name had been… scratched out. Not crossed out, as if with a pen, not covered in ink, not obscured by the natural passage of time on the paper; but scratched out. There was no damage to the parchment, no physical tears through it, it was as if something had reached into the very paper and run its claws through the words and torn them to shreds. The Lisa from a few months ago would have scoffed at the notion. The Lisa now knew better.

Below the scratched-out name a new one had been written in red ink in direct opposition to the uniform black around it. This new name was a scrawling mess, written as though in great haste by a shaking hand, nothing like the lovingly rendered calligraphy of all the others.

It read The Ancestor, for that was all he was. A distant memory, a faded memoir from ages gone by, a past shame on the family name, a ghost to haunt her nightmares.

 _The Ancestor._

 _The Ancestor._

 ** _The Ancestor!_**

Lisa sank into her seat with a warbling moan and immediately Lucy's lithe arms came swooping in around her, swaddling her like a blanket to bulwark her troubles away. Lisa sank into her sister's embrace, finger pressed tight against the bridge of her nose and eyes clenched tight to stem the tears that dared to leak from the corners in their mad bid for escape.

It was only when the shaking had stopped that Lisa stirred again. Wiping her eyes on her sleeve Lisa sat up with a grunt and folded up the document, tucking it safely away into the confines of the book. She hated it, she hated it more than she ever thought she could hate something, with ever fiber of her being she hated it…

But she knew she needed it.

And she hated that too.

And as Lisa grabbed the book, ready to close it and be done with this horrid business for the night, she paused for her finger had probed the next page from which the document had been found and that horrible, wonderful, indomitable curiosity of hers had reared its ugly head.

Her tiny fingers grabbed the edge of the page and she began to turn-

 _Stop_ , a voice whispered in her head, _this will destroy you._

Lisa paused, then sneered.

 _I'm already damned_ , she thought, and turned the page.

And just when she thought this place couldn't take any more from her Lisa smacked a hand over her mouth and sobbed as Lucy behind her doubled over and moaned in horror.

It was a picture of Lori. Not Lori as she had been depicted in the family tree, all prim and proper and not at all her. And it was not Lori from the before, the Lori from her fondest, most treasured memories, the Lori that was her big sister and guardian and friend.

This was the browbeaten Lori. The scarred and bruised Lori. The Lori with the missing eye and the red line running down her face. The Lori that wore steel to hold herself up, the Lori that hefted a shield to protect her sisters from the darkness and those that lurk in it, the Lori that killed men and monster alike with a mace of spikes and iron. With a manic glint in her remaining eye the drawing of Lori was trapped in a perpetual snarl, teeth exposed, and lips curled back like a beast.

Below her was simply her name, _**Lori Loud**_.

And below that something else.

 _ **Man-at-Arms.**_

Lisa shook her head back and forth, her head felt like a hornet's nest and her heart ached with each beat.

 _You couldn't just let us have this, she thought bitterly, just one more thing to take from us. It's not enough you take our family name, it's not enough you change our parents, it's not enough that you've twisted her into… into this… thing! But you won't even let me have one thing to remember her by, just one thing. I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you…_

Lisa wiped her eyes and looked over at the adjacent page.

Leni Loud's portrait was just as serene and beautiful as it should be, a warm, friendly smile on her face and golden hair leaking out from under her habit as she held her hands out in prayer. But… but wasn't there something wrong, Lisa thought. Wasn't there something off about Leni. Wasn't there something… strained in her wide eyes, something forced about that smile of hers. Leni didn't force her smiles. Leni should never have to force her smiles.

And below her those fateful words.

 _ **Leni Loud**_

 _ **Vestal**_

Lisa turned the page. It was killing her, seeing them like this. This was different from seeing them at the breakfast table, from seeing them around the mansion. There was a finality to this, to them. This was how they were now. The Lori that screamed at her to get out of her room only to then sneak into hers to tuck her into bed after a late night spent mixing chemicals had been murdered. The Leni that would bake sweet rolls for breakfast or surprise her with a new hand-knit sweater was replaced. The Luna that would shake the house with her loud, annoying, beautiful music was gone. Her sisters had been taken from her. This place had taken them, changed them, warped them into something else, and each page was only hammering another nail into the coffin that was everything Lisa had known and held dear.

And Lisa knew from the ragged gasps behind her that Lucy felt the same.

It was almost ironic, she had to admit. The two least emotive of the Loud family, and yet here they were, bawling their eyes out over some pictures.

Time and tragedy have a funny way of showing people what really matters, she supposed.

She glanced down at the book and saw Luna's face staring back at her, her eyes wide and red from nerves and lack of sleep and her mouth pressed thin in a tight, white line. Luna was always the most outwardly optimistic of the Loud girls, an intriguing blend of ebullient and perpetually chill, always warm and friendly and easily the loudest of the Louds. She was the sister you went to for help, to tell a secret, to either relax or have a good time with. A big sister if ever there was one.

That Luna wasn't here anymore. This Luna was distant, this Luna had a short fuse, this Luna was antsy, irritable, snappish. This Luna picked fights with Lori, seemingly intent on proving something. This Luna didn't play music anymore, the only sounds she made were the crack of grapeshot to add to the din of battle. This Luna was afraid, and desperately trying to hide it.

It wasn't her Luna, and Lisa would give anything just to hear her strum that guitar of hers again.

 _ **Luna Loud**_

 _ **Highwayman**_

Lisa ran her fingers slowly down her face, massaged the bags under eyes, and turned over to the next page.

And she stopped dead.

Luan wasn't there. It was her, it had to be her, she was next and the name on the page said, _**Luan Loud**_ , but she wasn't there. It was a blank silhouette, a black outline of her sister's general shape, but nothing else. Lisa glance below the name and found a similar lack of information.

 _ **?**_

Nothing!? Just a question mark, but what did it mean? What did any of this mean? Man-at-Arms, Vestal, Highwayman, were those… classes? Professions? Why not Luan then, why not give her a portrait? Was it because she hadn't been found yet?

Lisa flipped to the next page and found it was the same for Lynn and Lincoln, their portraits blank and the classes unknown.

 _ **Lynn Loud**_

 _ **?**_

 _ **Lincoln Loud**_

 _ **?**_

What did that mean!?

Lisa flipped to the next page and raised an eyebrow. Well now, this was interesting…

 _ **Lucy Loud**_

 _ **?**_

Similar to the ones before her Lucy had no listed vocation but unlike Lynn or Lincoln, she had a portrait. It was as she was now, her normally sleek black hair disheveled and frazzled, her bangs choppy and uneven, and from behind the tangled mess her wide eyes could be seen staring out in obvious horror.

Lisa felt Lucy shift behind her, unwilling to look at the picture, and the tiny genius reached up to the pale hand resting on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Lisa looked to the other page and found it similar to Lucy's.

 _ **Lola Loud**_

 _ **?**_

The picture of Lola showed her as she was, a tiny, frightened thing. So unlike the Lola she knew once, so long ago now it seemed. Lisa chanced a glance across the room and suddenly noticed that Lola was no longer drawing, instead standing in the furthest corner of the room where she stared at her siblings with wide, unblinking eyes.

Lisa found herself unable to hold the gaze and looked back down to the book. She felt tired, more tired than she'd ever felt in her entire life, but beneath the mental and spiritual exhaustion laid that ever-present need of hers to continue, to solve the puzzle, to discover what remained hidden.

 _To finish this!_

Lisa turned the page and looked down at Lana's empty portrait.

 _ **Lana Loud**_

 _ **?**_

 _Right_ , she thought, turning her gaze to the right and finding herself face-to-mask with the all-too-familiar plague doctor mask she had employed in her trip to the Ruins. The mask that was still hanging on her nightstand in her room. The mask she found herself holding late at night, desperately wanting to put on but too afraid to, as if believing she could stave off the inevitable so long as she never wore it again.

 _ **Lisa Loud**_

 _ **Plague Doctor**_

 _Plague Doctor, huh_? A sardonic grin scrawled its way across her face as Lisa brought a hand up to her right cheek so she could lean against it. _Suppose that explains the vials, not to mention the uniform. Funny, never imagined myself in a career involving masks and antiquated nostrums._

Lisa turned the page and was met only with blank parchment, and a sudden surge of pure relief flowed through the battered child as she realized that Lily, apparently, had been forgotten. If she was here, Lisa rationalized, the book would say so, but there was nothing to suggest the baby was even present, and Lisa was thankful; to what or who exactly she wasn't sure, but she was thankful all the same.

"It would appear," Lisa finally stated, her voice thin and trembling, "that things are a mite bit more complicated than expected."

Lucy simply nodded her head, flipping back through the pages and trying to sate her loneliness on the blank images of her lost siblings. It was amazing, she thought, how one could miss their noise, their energy, their general presence, and she cursed herself for ever wishing for even a second that it might disappear.

Lucy might've been a sucker for dark and foreboding mysteries, but when it came to her siblings, she was quickly discovering that even she had a limit.

And try as she might she just couldn't shake a certain ominous feeling as she thought of her sisters traversing through those dark halls below the earth.

* * *

 **A/N: Well now, that is interesting. Just what exactly have Lucy and Lisa stumbled upon, and what meaning can be gleaned from those words? And what of the others, how will they fare deep below the Earth, chasing their unnatural quarry through the darkness of the Ruins? Tune in next time gentle readers for the answer.**

 **Now, first things first, I already have most of the story planned out in rough draft form, and so I've already decided just what classes which characters are going to be. That being said feel free to speculate yourselves, I'd like to hear what you folks come up with, I feel like if you look at the character list it'll be pretty easy to see who fits what. Just don't expect me to give it away, where's the fun in that after all?**

 **Also I know this chapter didn't have much in the way of action but fret not gentle readers, the next chapter will have all the conflict you can stomach.**

 **It is the boss fight after all...**

 **As always comments and critiques are appreciated, feel free to ask any questions or let me know what you liked or didn't like, and have a great day!**

 **Edit 1/17/2019: The ending of this chapter has been edited to better reflect a shift in tone towards the Horror genre. Thank you all for your patience and have a lovely day.**


	6. Stories in the Dark

**A/N: Hello, hello gentle viewers, it's your old pal Sheepsquatch here with more tales to tantalize and terrify. My sincerest apologies for the amount of time it's taken me to churn out another chapter for this story but life has a funny way of getting in the way of hobbies sometimes. But enough about that, let's focus on the meat of why we're all here, shall we.**

 **First off, let's look at some comments!**

 **Pikpik: I'm glad to hear you think the story is terrifying at times, let's me know I'm doing my job properly. Also you should play the game, it's a load of fun especially with the new DLC's!**

 **Bill Gon: Thank you so much for the kind words friend! I'm very glad to hear you're enjoying the story and I can only hope I continue to impress. I'll just go ahead and say you're spot on with most of your assumptions concerning character classes but one isn't going to go the way you think it is, I won't say who exactly but I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised. Also, yes, the DLC's will be covered but I'm probably just going to stick to the main game and stay away from fan mods, if I do touch on them it'll likely be limited to references only.**

 **Thank you all for the comments and I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter! I'll just go ahead and say it's a little different from the others, I wanted to try out something new and interesting for this one so I hope you all find it engaging.**

 **Disclaimer: I own neither the Loud House nor Darkest Dungeon, such properties are owned by Chris Savino/Nickelodeon and Red Hook Studios respectively. This is merely a work of fiction for the purposes of entertainment.**

* * *

"Oi, the fuck was that? Arthur – go have a look!"

For a moment Arthur silently gazed into the fire, saying nothing and basking in its warmth and light, his face obscured by a tattered green hood and the dancing shadows cast by the flickering flames. After a moment, he slowly raised his head and stared at his companion with a blank empty gaze. Cutthroat and fusilier glared at one another, steely gazes half-hidden by worn cowls only to be briefly illuminated by the fading embers that sheltered them from the unremitting, advancing darkness that threatened to consume them with a growing effervescent fervor each passing second.

There was a part of Arthur that hated Peter, hated always being the one he called out, and that part wanted ever so desperately to tell him off, to refuse. But there was another altogether larger part of him, the part that had known and worked with Peter for well on five years now, that dutifully reminded Arthur of the futility of such an action, and moreover just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.

With a heavy sigh Arthur rose reluctantly from his seat around the campfire and, gripping his twin blades in tightly clenched hands, headed towards the darkness, the muffled snickering of his comrades lashing at his back like so many razor-thin whips. Arthur walked up to the very boundary of the firelight where the black frayed at the edges of his sanity and gazed out into the shroud of tenebrosity that sought only to envelop him. Eyes narrowed and ears primed he peered into the endless darkened corridors that lay before him and then, as loudly and as threateningly as he could muster, dragged the edges of his blades across each other and shouted gruffly, "Who's there, show yourself!"

Quick staccato footsteps answered him, echoing sharply and unseen in the inky gloom. Arthur scrutinized further, straining his ears and wondering if the strange rustles and hollow murmurs that followed were real or imagined. Arthur quickly retreated from the edge of oblivion back into the light, back to the safety of the fire and the familiarity of the weight of his company's presence. Three heads regarded their companion's return, still tense and ready even as Arthur retook his place by the fire.

"Well?" Peter asked, his voice a harsh whisper as his eyes whipped back and forth between Arthur and the darkness he had just returned from. The others leaned in with a conspiratorial air, their weapons gripped tightly in their rough, calloused hands.

"Nope, no one's there," Arthur mumbled, holding his hands by the fire and reveling in the warmth.

With relieved sighs the two other brigands leaned back in their seats and relaxed, their weapons hanging limply in their half-opened hands as the two men anxiously chuckled with eyes still fixed on the corridors.

"You sure?" Peter pressed, leaning forward with his trusty blunderbuss slung over his shoulder. "I could've sworn I heard something."

Arthur shrugged, not taking his eyes off the fire. "Well, nobody came forward. I thought I heard something, maybe, but they just ran off."

"You fuckin' moron!" Peter growled, slamming the butt of his blunderbuss onto the stone floor. "You heard somethin', and you let it get away, what the hell is wrong with you? Now you've given us away! What if it was the enemy, now they know where we are! What if the dead are getting closer?"

Arthur's head shot up and he fixed Peter with a flat even glare. With all the malice and alacrity he could muster the man pulled one of his knives from its sheath and he held it tight in his pale fists.

"And what should I do about it?" Arthur snarled, pointing at the man with one of his blades. "I can't see shit down here! Should I go running around in the dark, get myself eaten by a ghoul? Fuck off! You have a gun, you go do it next time!"

"I agree," came a great, deep, rumbling voice from Arthur's side, and both men looked over to see Reginald heft his vicious cat o' nine tails whip over his shoulder, lashing his flesh with the barbed instrument and sending blood sailing off into the darkness. If the man was in pain, he did not show it, not even grunting as he scoured himself.

"If I might... pontificate upon this most... excruciating... of quandaries... I don't think... they were people... the footsteps... sounded strange. Too quick... the pattern was off," the man continued, pausing every now and then to flagellate himself. Finally, he caught the stares from the others and straightened up. "What?"

"Do you have to do that now?" Peter asked, leaning away from the sordid scene as best as he could.

Reginald merely grunted, gave himself one last lash, and put the whip down. "It helps me think," he said, shrugging his massive shoulders. "Besides, I don't think it was the dead either, when have the dead ever run from anything? Lately they've been lunging forward without hesitation. Why, the other day they attacked a patrol with just wooden clubs and pieces of rubble, marched straight into musket-fire, no hesitation." Reginald paused for a moment, bringing his thumb up to his chin as he pondered his words, before nodding as much to himself as to the others. "No, the dead don't run, probably just the lads from up top havin' a lark, or a rat maybe," he chirped good-naturedly, grabbing up his whip to give himself another lashing.

Arthur straightened up a bit, pleased by the unexpected support and moreover feeling quite content with himself. He flashed the fusilier a smug grin and Peter glared right back.

"Alright, fuck!" Peter snapped, grabbing up his blunderbuss and waving it about his head. "If it was the lads, they should have said something, we have rules for a reason! And you don't have to be such a dick about it! Just last week one of our guys got eaten by a spider, a fucking spider! What if it was a scout, now it'll just go back to its mates and next thing we know we've got spiders crawling up our assholes? You see Arthur, that's your problem, you don't think about these kinds of things!" With a snort Peter hacked up a loogie and spat it into the fire. He gave Arthur a smile much too friendly to be anything but sadistic and said quite frankly, "And don't give me anymore lip, or next time I'll make you run after whatever it was back into the tunnel!"

It made Arthur shudder to imagine the tunnel beyond the meager safety of the pale glow, where the light dies, and the darkness snuffs out all hope. It was horrifying just to think of it. Looking into the maw of that abyss was like looking into the very gates of oblivion itself, like looking up at a starless night only far more visceral due largely in part to its immediate proximity. No one had the guts to go off into the deeper sections of the tunnels; patrols would make it to the tenth meter with no problem, by the twentieth meter the jokes and laughs would grow faint, by the hundredth the men would be pressing against each other, their legs as slow and heavy as lead. They would stop then and having illuminated the ruined ballrooms and rotting libraries with their torches will convince themselves that there was nothing worth pilfering down here, would hastily return. Even the raiders and hunters – big guys, Vvulf's personal enforcers themselves – would stop at the hundredth and fiftieth meter. They'd turn their baleful gazes around this ruined, dead world that had been swallowed up by the Earth, taken down to the depths of Hades itself, and stand stock-still, breathing in the dank swill of dusty, stale air and miasma. And then, they'd slowly, quietly, head back, without taking their eyes off the tunnel and never turning their backs to it.

They were now on patrol at the one hundred and sixtieth meter, though were exactly they were none could say. All attempts at trying to map out this labyrinthine nightmare had been stopped long ago. All they could do was send a patrol down every now and then to check for scrap and loot and these boundaries were, in theory, to be checked and maintained. Now their post was the outermost and, since the last check, the beasts that the last patrol might've scared off would have certainly begun to crawl closer once again. They were drawn to the flame, to people…

Arthur settled into his seat and looked over towards Byron to ask, "So what actually happened at the docks?"

For a moment Byron said nothing, his head hanging in his hands as he leaned in towards the campfire. After a few seconds of silence Reginald reached over to tap the man on the shoulder and withdrew just as the cutthroat leapt to action, twin swords slicing through the air where the large man's fingers had been. Breathing hard Byron looked around the camp, eyes wide and jaw clenched, taking in Reginald's easy-going smile, Peter's thoroughly unamused glare, and finally Arthur's surprised and somewhat fearful features. This last visage seemed to resonate somewhere in Byron's addled mind and the man's rage and confusion passed into genuine enthusiasm as something in his brain finally clicked.

"The dock? Oh, the dock! Y'wanna hear 'bout the docks, d'ya?"

"Yeah, 's why he asked."

" _O'IM TELLIN' THE STORY REGGIE_!"

Reginald sighed and wearily raised his hands in defeat, a motion which seemed to placate the old, scarred up cutthroat who after a moment turned back to Arthur with a wide grin.

"So yeah, the docks. Surprised you haven't heard about it yet. Anyways, 's an odd yarn to be sure. It all started when them lads, John, Henry, y'know, them Butcher Boys what work with Jim? Yeah, they up and disappeared by the wharf."

"Disappeared?" Arthur asked. Now, he'd heard of people disappearing, a few mates of his own had been killed now and then, but the Butcher Boys? And by the wharf? Not in the Ruins or the Weald or, god forbid, the Warrens?

"'S what I said," Byron continued, his voice grave as he slowly nodded his head. "Vanished. Gone. Nobody knows what happened to 'em. Or, back then they didn't."

"We found 'em?"

"Funny you should says that. So, anyways, the lads are off by the harbor, on accounts of them new tarts what's been making moves in the Hamlet lately—

"'Buncha tarts," Peter muttered darkly before spitting into the fire. His dislike of the new Ladies in charge of the Hamlet ever since that Ancestor fella' up and croaked was mutual amongst the group but Arthur always wondered if his wasn't just a bit more... personal. Maybe he should ask him sometime, when they get back up top.

—making it hard for our boys to put the squeeze on them shitheel pissants," Byron continued, pausing for a second to glare at Peter before continuing. "So, they figures they could shake down a few of them weirdos what live by the Cove. 'Buncha fuckin' creeps if you asks me, somefinn's not roight wiff 'em, they got funny eyes…"

Arthur shuddered a bit. He knew exactly what Byron was talking about. Those people that lived by the Cove were even creepier than the folks what lived in the Hamlet proper, at least they could be called normal, or at least whatever passed for normal 'round these parts. Those Cove folks though... they weren't right.

"So anyways that goes about as well as you can imagine," Byron said, picking at his teeth with a blade, "those fishermen ain't exactly the friendliest type, and more important than that they're dirt-poor so they barely got nuthin'. So, them Butcher Boys tell the ret of the lads to go back to camp, that they've got some unfinished business with them fisher-folk."

"Like what?"

"How the fuck should I know, probably was gonna burn down a house or two, rob a couple of them for 'oldin out on us. Them Butcher Boys never did have much sense if you asks me. Anyhow, they set up right there on the beach and the rest of the lads turn in at the camp. Next morning they hop on down to the wharf and whad'ya know but they's just up and..."

Byron paused a bit, put his thumb in his mouth, and extricated it with a loud pop.

"Vanished. Gone. Not a trace."

Arthur leaned back in his seat and shook his head, already beginning to regret asking Byron what had happened. It would be different, he told himself, if he had asked up top, but down here? A fresh chill ran down Arthur's spine as he gazed off into the murky darkness that surrounded them, barely kept at bay by the flickering light, and he felt thoroughly uncomfortable even though he was closest to the fire. Any rustlings from the tunnel, even the faintest whispers born from his imagination, heralded ghouls and beasts from the very depths of hell itself.

"So," Byron continued, leaning back himself to prop up the back of his head with his arms, one knee over the other and a grin on his face, "naturally, the lads set to looking. They go around, shoutin' names, harassin' the locals, the usual. 'S not like them Cove folk like us, they figured them butcher boys got lynched, happens from time to time, nothin' unusual there. Only, see, them Cove folk weren't there, not a single one on the streets, in the markets. They musta' went bangin' on every door but couldn't find a single bleedin' soul in the whole place."

"Now they're getting' scared, yeah? Gettin' a little antsy. They called for some reinforcements and searched and searched, must've combed the whole beach over three times shoutin' their names to high heavens – but they couldn't fine 'em. Them Butcher Boys was just gone! And the worst part wasn't that they might be dead, oh no, the worst was that nobody knew! No blood, no bodies, nothing! There was no trace of them whatsoever."

"So, when they go back to camp that night and get a few drinks in 'em, they decide the lads must've skedaddled. Hit the road, took a hike. Them Butcher Boys was always the grumbling types. So, they said deserters, the lot of 'em, and went on their merry way. If it's an easy life they want, if they want to run around with all kinds of riff-raff, then let 'em run around to their heart's content. To hell with them! Simple that way, see? So now they've got some beer in 'em, some food, and now that they've got it all figured out they start feelin' pretty chipper 'bout themselves. So, the next day comes and goes and the next patrol goes on down to the Cove and what do you think they find?"

Byron let the question hang in the air for a moment, eyes closed and a smug grin on his face as Arthur, Reginald, and Peter all lean in closer. Suddenly he slammed his boot onto the stone floor and all three brigands flinched back at the noise and the feral glint in his eyes as the firelight illuminated his leathery, torn-up face.

"There they are, them Butcher Boys. Only, see, it ain't exactly all of 'em. 'S only their heads, John, Henry, both of 'em on fishing spears, just stickin' out of the sand. Their eyes missin', tongues cut out, flies swarmin' all over 'em both. Their skin all green and rotted, like they've been out there for weeks. Not Jim though, nah, he's still in one piece. He's sittin' there, quiverin' and mumblin' to hisself, dead to the world. So the lads, them what can still stomach the whole thing mind, they come up to him they say, 'Jim me old boy, what's all this then?' But he don't say nuthin', just sits there, whisperin' dark things under his breath."

Byron leaned forward in his seat, his terrifying smile shining all the more terrible in the flickering flames of the fire, both illuminated and yet in shadow. The brigands leaned back, their faces hidden by the encroaching darkness, as though the shadows themselves were drawing in as the tale reached its climax.

"And then," Byron whispered, his voice hoarse and crooked and tight in his throat, "He turns around. And he ain't got no skin, none at all. 'S all muscle and bones. No eyes, no tongue, no face. And he opens his red, bloody mouth, and he screams. He just screams and screams this 'orrible noise and he starts vomitin' blood at falls down at their feet. Now one of the lads, he knows Jim some, and he gets down and he asks him what 'appened, what 'appened Jim? And Jim? He just looks up at him, smilin' and grinnin' all red and bloody, and y'know what he says?"

Arthur's hair stood on end. "What'd he say?" Arthur asked. His voice sounded unusual, quiet and warbling, so unlike him.

"...The Deep Ones," Byron finally said, his voice as cold and heavy as the deepest depths of the ocean. "The Deep Ones."

Silence reigned for a good long while after that, with nothing to stifle the all-pervading solitude except for the light crackling of the fire. Arthur sat and thought, he tried to imagine the sight, but found himself unable. Arthur was no stranger to horror, to terrible sights, you do the things he'd done for as long as he had and you see some shit, some of which he'd done himself. He'd seen dead people, he'd seen men who'd been shot, stabbed, he'd seen severe heads, he'd seen the burnt bodies of those still left in the fires he'd started. Oh yes, he'd seen things, but there was something about Byron's tale that seemed... wrong. The lack of blood at the scene, the decay of the heads after merely a day or two, and then there was all that business with Jim...

Reginald let out a low, deep whistle that reverberated in Arthur's skull and cascaded through the Ruins, echoing far down into the darkened corridors as loud and intrusive as a gunshot.

"'Cor Byron," the bloodletter chuckled, though it was distinctly devoid of mirth and his smile showed too many teeth. "Right spooky tale that was, eh?"

Byron merely shrugged his shoulders and grunted. "'S somethin', I guess. The boys legged it back to camp after that. They came back with a posse, but Jim was gone, them heads were still there though. Some of the lads wanted to go burn down the fishing village, most just wanted to leave though. If you ask me, it weren't them fishermen, they're a grumpy lot but mostly they're just spineless, sure they've gutted the odd lad now and then, but not like that. No, I bet it were them Flesh Cult motherfuckers!"

Every man by the fire immediately leaned forward and spat into the fire, willing all their anger and disgust at the merest mention of that name into the flames. The mere thought of the Flesh Cult sent an unpleasant shiver through the men, like worms had crawled into their clothes and were writhing under their skin.

"Damned savages!" Peter snarled, shaking his head. "I've seen some shit, done some shit myself besides, but never have I seen such... such...

"Such raw, visceral brutality," Reginald chimed in, a haunted note to his tone.

"Yeah that! Buncha fuckin' lunatics. Them, the Hamlet, this whole fucking place is sick! I keep tellin' the boss, I tells him, 'Boss, we gotta leave while the leavin' is good,' we ain't gonna get our spoils, and that's a right pain, but it is what it is!"

Peter leaned back in his seat and sighed, rubbing the side of his head as he gazed forlornly into the fire.

"Here!" – Peter suddenly snapped – "Now I'll tell you all a story, since that's the only way to pass the time down here in Hell. None of you knew this but I was part of the expedition party Vvulf first sent into the Weald, and though I've seen my fair share since then nothing has haunted me as what I'm about to tell you."

"We didn't know what we were doing back then. Still don't really, but at least we have a clue now, we've seen things, we know something's out there if not what exactly, but that's better than nothing. This was back when the old man was still around, but he was already on his last legs so to speak. Hadn't the flair he used to, hadn't that, what's the word, aristocracy. He was a haunted man, pale and haggard, like he'd seen hell itself. Was enough to turn the blood cold, imagining what could do that to a man like him, after all he'd done. But what's worse than all of that was that the money had stopped, we'd bled the old tosser dry or he just didn't care anymore. We'd already taken to highway robbery when the funds started dippin' but now we hadn't enough to get a decent meal or drink, and it wasn't like them Hamlet folks were gonna start shelling out, wouldn't be too long until they'd just up and kick us out entirely, the bastards...

"So, Vvulf gets the bright idea to send some of the lads out into the forest, what we know to call The Weald now, to scrounge up some supplies. The Ancestor told us not to go in there, all sorts of threats and vagaries, you understand, but if he wasn't gonna start supplying us then what did we care? Told him to sod off and leave us to our own affairs. He killed himself not too long after, now here we are."

"Well, me and the lads, some blokes by the name of Connor, he ain't around no more, that Irish pork pie O'Malley, then there was Dunham... Oh! And that darkie, what's his name? Amir! Yeah, him. And then we had young Bill Turner."

"Ah Bill," Reginald sighed, slowly shaking his head as he gave himself another lashing with his whip. "Now there was a good lad."

"Too right," Peter grumbled, scratching the side of his head with one of his crossbow bolts. "Hell of a lad that boy. Damn shame what happened to him, a goddamned shame."

"...So," Arthur pressured, waving a hand in the air. "What did happen to him? Get on with the story Peter, you've got me hooked now!"

"Yeah, yeah," the older man huffed, waving the lad off, "I'm gettin' there, I'm gettin' there. So anyways there we were, in the Weald. Now we'd all been in the woods before, that's usually how it goes in our line of work, but I don't think I need to tell any of you that the Weald is something else entirely."

"Place isn't natural," Byron agreed, a shudder running up his spine. "It ain't wholesome, get the feeling something's watching you soon as ya step foot in the place."

"And you'd be right," Peter said, his voice low and even as he pointed at the man, "don't never trust that place, same goes for anywhere in this shithole Hamlet. Any place were the dead don't have the common decency to stay dead ain't a place to be letting your guard down. But this was all before we knew about the walking dead, before we knew to be careful and always vigilant and the like. So yeah, we let our guard down, and ain't a day hasn't passed where I don't think about what came from it."

"It was a pleasant day, I suppose. 'Bout as pleasant as it gets around here at any rate. The lads and I had been scouting the perimeter of the forest for a week? Something like that. But this would be our first real foray into the forest proper. Wasn't supposed to be more than a simple romp, got all the essentials with us and we'd go camping for a few days, get a lay of the land then get back to Vvulf. 'Course, we'd all heard the rumors from them Hamlet folk, 'bout how the forest was... tainted. Same with the haunted ruins, or the demons what they say live in them caves, nobody believed 'em at first, but we sure as hell do now."

"The second we got in that forest something wrong. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up, but I didn't say nothing 'cause the rest of the boys seemed alright, joking and laughing like, sayin' how this would be the easiest job ever, so I kept my mouth shut. Figured it was just nerves, but as we kept walking the mood shifted. You could feel it on the wind, in the air itself. Like you were being watched, like you were sneaking 'round someplace you had no place being and you knew if you got caught something bad would be coming your way. The lads stopped laughing, stopped talking for the most part really, looking 'round with wide eyes and the like. And these was some hard boys, say what you want 'bout 'em but weren't none of 'em craven and I'll knock the head off anyone says otherwise."

"So, it's a been a few hours in the place and now we're stuck in good and proper, all deep like, and the lads are spooked like nothing before. See, 'cause the whole time we've been walking we've been also been looking, and we're starting to notice the little things. At first the forest was might bit spooky yeah? But it was still a forest, birds and squirrels and shit, trees and flowers and what-have-you's. But the further we got in... well, the stranger it got. No more animals, no birdsong, the trees started getting taller and blocking out the light. Then there was these mushrooms see, just all over the place, covering entire trees at time; had half a mind to pick some but I had the inkling none of 'em was the wholesome variety. Some of the boys would stop and look off into the forest, sayin' they just saw something duck behind a tree, or a face in the leaves staring back, all sorts of fucked up nonsense that was just getting the rest of the boys riled up. Told 'em it was nothing, they were just tired and seeing things, liable to happen in these new environs and such, and we'd make camp soon so's to get some rest and be right as rain tomorrow."

Peter grabbed his gun and slammed the butt of it onto the concrete floor, the sound of it as loud and clear as any gunshot and the lads 'round the fire all jumped back, unaware 'till now that they'd gathered in as close as they had to listen to Peter's tale. The man gave them a cruel smirk that slowly faded into a grimace as he stared off into the fire, his eyes flickering with the flames as Peter relived his past.

"It all started coming to a head when we made camp for the night. We had a pretty good fire going, and the light was starting to get the boys back in proper order. Sure, there were a few nervous smiles, a few cautious glances towards the woods, but I prefer it that way, keep 'em on their toes. 'Course some damned fool had to break out the ale and next thing I know there's a bunch of right rowdy lads whoopin' and hollerin' like a pack of dogs. Wanted to say something but nobody listened to me and I thought, fine, let the boys have a drink, might help their nerves, 'sides maybe there ain't nothing even down here, maybe I'm just paranoid. So yeah, I took a drink or two, and wouldn't you know it but that being watched feeling started to go away. Oh, not completely, no, but just enough were I didn't want to go poppin' off into the dark."

"So, I'm starting to feel good. We're all laughing, drinking, having a good time more or less. And I turn over to Bill and I start talking, probably a joke though I can't be buggered to remember it, and the lads are all laughing and I'm smiling all casual like and it's a good time, we're having fun. Then Bill just turns to me and all the piss in me blood just turns sour when I see his cold, empty eyes staring at me. And then he just stands up and says – listen to this part! – just stands right up and says, 'The Mistress is calling for me,' and he just turns around and he fucking walks off into the bushes. Just right out into the dark, no torch or nothing! Just disappears!"

Peter leaned back in his seat, covering his eyes with his hands as he took in a deep breath through his teeth, held it for a moment, then blew it out in a harsh hiss. All around the fire the lads drew in, unease and nervousness coupling with that perverse desire to know more that only a good story can truly inspire.

Peter needed only a scant few seconds to recompose before he continued. "Everyone 'round the campfire just stopped. One of the fellas laughed a bit, but it was like, how could you not? Just so fucking weird, right? Lad says something like that and just walks right off into the night, how could you not laugh? So, we sit there for a bit; stunned, I guess. Bit addled from the drink too, I 'spose. One of 'em, Amir I think, made a crack about it being a weird way to say, 'I need to take a piss,' and the boys had a chuckle at that, but nobody's heart was in it."

"I can't tell you how long we waited there for Bill. I can tell you though it wasn't me who first suggested going to get him. I looked at Connor like he'd grown a second head, no fucking way I was going back in there! But then I started thinking, it'd look real bad to Vvulf if we lost the kid out there, look even worse if I was too chicken to go out and get him. So, I got up, grabbed a stick from the fire, and followed Connor. Wasn't expecting the rest of the boys to follow, but I guess the drink made 'em a little bolder and besides, weren't none of 'em gonna want to stay behind."

"So, we're walking around right, and it's dark. Real dark. Even with the torches can't barely see anything but what's right in front of our faces. Now we didn't think the lad had wandered off too far, probably just got drunk, went for a piss, maybe fell down and just decided to call it a night. So we call for him, 'Bill, Bill where are ya?', that sort of thing."

"And that's when we start to feel it," Peter whispered, his voice cracking as a visible shudder ran through his body. "And I mean really start to feel it. We were already uncomfortable there like I'd said, like we were being watched, but now it was really starting to creep up on us. Like some of the lads were starting to say they were feeling sick. I was feeling it too, like somebody had my stomach in a vice grip and was giving me the works. Amir started crying at some point. Didn't even feel like laughing at him or nothing, honestly felt sorry for the bastard."

"The further we got stuck in the more wrong It all felt. The more the trees started to loom in on us, the more the darkness just seemed to... seem to stick to us. Like it was trying to drag us down. We'd look at the trees and see them covered in mushrooms and lichen, crooked bark shaped like teeth bearing down. I felt something, in me head. Can't describe it, not like a ringing but worse, just constant sharp noise that seemed to crackle and pop. Every bone in my body wanted to turn around but I just couldn't, I had to keep moving, like I wasn't even in control of my body anymore, like my body was a carriage and I was riding on the side but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't turn to see who was driving me."

Peter paused for a moment, then with a sigh he dragged his hands down his face and placed them in his lap. For a second Arthur was stunned, Peter wasn't exactly no spring chicken but, in that moment, he looked twenty years older, his eyes grey and listless as he stared into the flames.

"We heard the drums first. It was faint, an echo from far away, but as we approached it slowly grew louder and louder. Didn't know what to make of it at first. Fuck, I don't think I was even, well, thinking! Just had to get there. I didn't want to, but I had to. Had to find out where it was coming from, had to find out what was going on. Wasn't even thinking about Bill no more, wasn't thinking about the rest of the lads, wasn't thinking about myself, just the drums. Or, I guess, more what I was going to find when I got to where the drums were. Didn't know what it was, just that I wasn't going to like it when I saw." Peter laughed a bit at that, but it was a dry mirthless cackle and when he turned up from the fire to look at Arthur there was a strange gleam in his eyes.

"Bit of a fucking understatement that," Peter muttered darkly through grit teeth. "Words... words fail me lads. I've seen a lot since, but this? This was the stuff of nightmares. We'd stepped out of those trees and straight into Hell. When we saw the light through the trees, we, well, I thought... well, I don't really know what I was thinking. Maybe it was the way out, maybe I was dead, not all that sure, memory's a bit fuzzy. But then I felt the heat, heard the crackling of the flames, and then I realized that I really was dead. But that light? That light weren't Heaven. No, it was well and truly Hell."

"It stood before us, a parody in shape of a man but made of wood, an effigy of sorts to some dark and unwholesome ritual the likes of which weren't meant to be witnessed in civilized lands. Towering and monstrous in form and purpose, purpose which to us became immediately clear when we spied the body of young Bill hanging from the branches of the wicker man's torso. Not sure if he was dead or not, too far away to tell, and besides my attention would soon be divided amongst other, more pressing matters."

"All around the clearing 'neath the wicker man were demons. All of 'em. Devils and demons and their witchy servants, horrible creatures and all their ilk, beasts twisted and scarred into the shape of men and other unwholesome designs besides. Unholy mixtures of rotted up men with mushrooms and lichens bursting through their greenish flesh, still moving though they'd been long dead. Women with the skulls of elk, gangly limbed and pallid flesh. Slack-jawed men standing 'round but something was wrong with them, they didn't look... there. Nobody was home but the candle weren't blown out just yet, so to speak. All of these things and more exposed by the light of the torches they carried, and not normal fire neither, wytches fire, green like the lights you see floating atop the bog at night. And at the head of this blasphemous coven was a grotesque creature, bloated near to bursting, green flesh like a corpse, teeth glinting 'neath a crooked nose, beady eyes glaring out from the empty eyes sockets of the deer skull she wore atop her head. The Hag took three steps forward and afore I had even time to think she tossed the torch in her hand at the wicker man. Cor, but didn't it just burst into flame, just went right up. And from the crowd of beasts and witches came such a wild row I had to cover my ears to stop my head from spinning."

"And that's about when Amir smacked me in the back of the head. Just like that whatever spell that'd been placed upon me, whether by foul witchcraft or my own terror, dissipated. I blinked and saw things as they were, the haze of terror shaken by fresh pain, and I turned to Amir to find sprawled out on the ground next to me, face deathly pale, eyes wide, and mouth open in a silent scream. He was pointing at something, horror on his face plain as day, and before common sense took hold of me, I'd turned to see what it was."

Peter paused a moment to swallow, a thick, heavy sound that seemed to echo and Arthur was suddenly and acutely aware of how quiet it had gotten. How empty.

"It was a face," Peter whispered, shaking his head back and forth. "There was a face in the tree. Part of the tree, like someone had taken a man and just... shoved him in there. Fused! That's the word. I was paralyzed, not like when I was looking at them witches though; this was more like... like I couldn't even understand what I was looking at. There he was, a face in the tree, what's a man supposed to do with that?"

"Naturally, that's about when it opened it's eyes. They was empty, black sockets, and something like blood mixed with sap came pouring out. For a second, we just stared at each other, Amir by my side whimpering like a kicked dog and the rest of the lads hanging back."

"And then it started screaming."

"It was a horrible noise, ringing in my skull and making me dizzy. Reminded me of this one time I stuck a knife in some bastard's gut, wheezy and harsh, only worse because that was done and over with quick and merciful like and this just kept on going and going, louder and louder. I think that's when everything started catching up to me, I mean really started sinking in, and I started to realize the severity of what I'd stumbled upon. Coincidentally, it was also about then I realized that, aside from the screaming face in the tree, I couldn't hear much else besides."

"I felt something cold settle into my stomach as a sort of understanding fell over me, and I turned my head to the side to see that the entire possession of devils were staring at us, quiet as the grave aside from the screaming face and the burning fire. I chanced a glance upwards and saw that even young Bill were staring down at me through sightless eyes even as the highest flames started to lick the flesh from his face. I glanced back down to the Hag and she sneered at me with crooked, green teeth. She pointed a filth-encrusted wooden spoon at me and without so much as a word the horde converged upon us."

"I can't rightly begin to tell you the horror I felt when I first stumbled upon that sordid ritual. Even remembering it is hard, like there's a fog in my mind that's keeping me from seeing it properly, almost like a bad dream you wake up from and all you can remember is that feeling of wrongness in your bones. But I can tell you about the sheer, blind terror I felt when them monsters started running towards me, same as an angry mob out for blood, or when you're cornered by a dog in some rich pricks yard and you're out of bullets. That fight or flight them what know better than me call's it, and brothers, I was running! I shot to my feet, hauling Amir up on account of the fact he was holding on to me tighter than a biddie to her purse, and started pushing some of the slower lads behind me forward. I'll freely admit this was more because they was in my way than because I was trying to save them or anything, but it got the job done and soon enough we was taking off down the forest path."

"At some point or another the torch had been dropped, and while it may be darker than the Devil's puckered arse down here that forest weren't no joke neither. Couldn't see the forest for the trees in the dark, stumbling and bumbling like babes on the wood, tripping over every rock and stick in our mad little escape. Ain't no way you could keep a cool head after what we'd seen, even after all this time I can still recall that terror, makes my heart race just thinking about it. That heart-pounding terror, that need to get away, and all the while I could just feel their hot breath on the back of my neck, their dirty nails grabbing at my cloak, savage teeth grazing my legging as I took each step. So yeah, I ran, ran like a damn child, ran until my breath was burnin' and my lungs were set to burstin' and my blood was runnin' down my lip."

"More than once I almost got stuck, some witch leaning out from the trees with a knife fixing to shiv me, a demon reaching out for my legs set to trip me; I can clearly remember a twisted, horrible thing like a man and a swine stitched together come running out the bushes, wailing and carving with a cleaver 'bout took my head off. But that weren't even the worse of it, oh no. The worst was the trees, even running I took a look here and there, and while they looked terrible frightening in the dark now I could see them for what they were. Men and women long dead hanging from the branches, moaning faces stretching out from the great swaths of fungus growing on 'em, entrails hanging from the boughs..."

From his seat by the fire Arthur dabbed his brow with the hem of his cloak, his eyes wide and staring off into the corridor beyond the light of the fire, only half-focusing on Peter's story as an almost prescient sense of dread overcame him. Pounding in his skull, not like drums but louder, higher, more constant. A crackling noise that filled his skull as his breath quickened and his heart hurt with every beat and his skin tingled and burned and he could feel it.

How could they not see it? The hallway was closing in on them. It was getting smaller! IT was getting closer!

"...couldn't even tell ya how long I'd been running, all I know is that when I finally came to, I was back at camp in the infirmary tent. Vvulf hisself was waiting over me, face grim as ever. Wanted to know what happened, so I told him. He said to tell him something different than the inane, feverish ramblings I'd been spouting for the past two days, I told him it weren't no fever dreams and if he wanted me to go back in them woods he could just go ahead and kill me now."

Peter took in a deep breath and looked up towards the ceiling, his eyes narrowed, and fists clenched and he spat through clenched teeth, "We lost some boys back there in them woods. That's to be expected in our line of work, sure, but at least you get shot by a man, something respectable ya know? Not run down in the woods by witches and their pet demons, not damned into a tree to howl and moan forever. Amir won't speak to me anymore, thinks I'm cursed or that it was my fault or some shit, I don't fucking know. Dunham went missing that night and O'Malley ain't cracked a joke since. 'Course we lost Bill that night too, and then Connor offed himself a week later. Just slit his own throat in his bed, nobody even knew until he started stinkin' something fierce. Wouldn't talk to nobody either before that, weren't nobody behind them eyes anyhow."

Peter suddenly clapped his hands, the shock of it more than enough to send Reginald and Byron jolting back with nervous chuckles as the echoes of it cascaded down the empty, dark halls. Peter smiled at them darkly and shook a finger at them.

"So that's my story then lads. But it weren't no campfire tale though, every word of it was true, swear of me mum's grave. But to make a long story short, 's why I don't go out in the woods no more, and why Vvulf has sense enough to not send you chucklefucks too deep neither! 'S also why I always, and I mean always, shoot first and ask questions later," Peter said, his voice slowly losing that forced jolliness as he all but growled those last few syllables, waving his gun for emphasis. "Isn't that right Ar- Arthur?"

Arthur was silent, gazing into the fire with glazed eyes and a dull look on his face. The other lads looked round at each other, confusion and a hint of worry on their faces. Peter gave a loud cough, and when that did nothing Byron clanged a sword against the cobblestone floor a few times. That seemed to do the trick and Arthur suddenly snapped to attention, his eyes flickering madly in the light of the fire before finally focusing on Byron.

"Huh?" the man drone, switching his gaze between his three comrades at random before settling on Peter. "Oh! Right. Yeah... I should've went after the thing... of course. I was an idiot."

Reginald, Byron, and Peter all shared a wary glance before finally Peter leaned forward and nodded at the young man. "Oi, Arthur, you alright lad?"

"Huh?"

"Your nose is bleeding," Reginald said softly, pointing at him.

Arthur blinked owlishly at the comment before slowly raising his hand to his face. His movements were slow, jerky, and his arm felt numb like he'd slept on it wrong and he couldn't quite get it to move how he wanted. He felt along his face clumsily for a moment and blinked again when he withdrew his palm and spied the flecks of red on it.

"Oh," he said dumbly, and turned his hand this way and that, inspecting it as if he couldn't quite grasp what he was looking at, and completely unaware of the way his three comrades leaned back from him, Peter's story still fresh in their minds as they reeled under this most recent display of abnormality.

"I think," Reggie began, still softly but with an edge of finality to his tone, "we've spent enough time down here."

"Y-yeah," Byron hastily agreed. "Miasma's gettin' to us. Bit of sunshine'll do ya good," he said, directing this last bit to Arthur.

"Right then," Peter said, clapping his hands. "Enough teatime in Hell then, time to leg it boyos. Next shift has to be soon, right? How long we been down here anyhow?"

As the three conversed and went about their duties of cleaning camp Arthur sat stock still on his seat and looked at his red hand, silent and cold as a statue. The strange sound was getting louder and louder, coming from the darkness around them. This noise, which had been almost inaudible to begin with, had been steadily increasing so as to all but drown out all thoughts in his own head and now it was beginning to flicker between the border of audible sound and ultrasound, slowly and imperceptibly gaining strength and intensity. It reminded him of a crackling whispering more than anything – incomprehensible and unnatural.

Arthur quickly glanced up at the others. They were all moving rhythmically and silently, they were talking but it sounded faded, as though they were speaking from a great distance away. Peter and Byron speaking amicably, smiling and laughing, and Reginald was calmly looking forward, having stopped his cautious backwards glancing into the tunnel.

They didn't hear anything. Nothing! Arthur became scared. The calm and silence of the group became even more conspicuous against the background of static in his skull, which was getting louder and louder – and it was incomprehensible and frightening. There was something there, how could they not see it? How could they not hear it!? It was here now, peering through the veil, pulling its way through, ready to-

 _ **CLANG!**_

Arthur shot to his feet and unsheathed his swords. The other lads jumped in their seats and stared at him in surprise, wide-eyed and alarmed.

"What are you doing?" Reginald questioned, his great scarred hand already reaching for his flail.

"You don't hear anything?" Arthur asked in bewilderment, and the fear in his voice made Reginald's face change. Something in the man's eyes flickered there, but Arthur pretended not to notice for fear of what might happen should he bring it to light.

And in that moment a foul sensation crept into Arthur's very soul, that maybe there was no noise and that was why only he could hear it. That maybe he was going mad, that he was imagining it out of fear...

Peter grunted and sat up straight, staring directly into Arthur's eyes, his own grey eyes sharp as ever and bespoke of nothing but a cold, hard edge. He sat motionless and tense, listening, eyes fixed squarely on Arthur and one ear pricked and primed towards the tunnel.

The strange noise was right there now, Arthur could hear it distinctly even amidst the sea of static. An even clanging, like metal on stone, even and undaunting as it mad its way towards them, and the clearer the sound became the more attentively Arthur peered at Peter's face, waiting for just the faintest suggestion that he too could also hear what was filling Arthur's mind with ever-strengthening agitation.

But alas, Peter's features gradually smoothed out from tense fear to his usual easy-going irritability, and Arthur felt a great overcoming sense of shame and disgust well up in his stomach. Neither Reginald nor Byron could hear it either and in the case of the latter this disbelief would manifest in a question of spiteful mockery:

"Hallucinations?"

"Fuck off!" Arthur shouted, shame and pride, and fear fueling his voice. 'What, are you all deaf or something?"

"Hallucinations," Byron concluded smugly, turning to glare at Peter. "Your stories done gave him nightmares."

"Shut up," Peter snapped, glaring right back at the cutthroat before turning back to Arthur with a look annoyance and supplication in equal measure. "Look, nothing's there. You just thought you heard something, alright? Sounds echo down here. You're feeling a bit down that I yelled at ya before, and the stories spooked ya, no shame there. 'S a right hell hole down here, you'll feel tip-top soon as ya get back up top, alright?"

"The fuck I don't hear anything!" Arthur shouted back, his voice distorted by the echoes across the walls. With a bound the man leapt over the fireplace and began marching into the corridor.

"Oi! The fuck are you-

"Show yourself!" Arthur screamed, teeth bared and pupils so wide his eyes were almost black. "C'mon, I know you're there! Won't get away from me again!"

"Off his bloody rocker!" Byron snapped, gesturing with his knives. "Bring the whole damn place down on our heads!"

"I'll go shut him up," Reginald agreed, slamming a ham-sized fist into his palm as he made to stand up.

Arthur ignored them all, too caught up in his sudden rage to notice anything anymore. The sound was all-encompassing now, his skull pounded like a drum and blood ran freely from his nose and ears as a waterfall of sweat pirouetted down his brow. His fists were clenched so tight around the hilt of his blades they glowed white, and held them with purpose and a ready tenseness, like a coiled serpent ready to strike.

C'mon, he willed, speaking into the darkness, speaking to the ever-louder echoes of trooding metal that grew in volume, grew in urgency, grew in rapaciousness. C'mon then, this is what you want, isn't it? Want to kill me? Well you'll have to come get me first. So C'mon then, I'm right here. Let's do this. Let's do this! _Let's do this! C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, C'MON ALREADY GOD DAMN YOU!_

There was a groan from the tunnel, as though the very corridors themselves heaved out a sigh, and a shadow suddenly loomed forth from the darkness. With a wild, primordial shriek Arthur fell back, swinging his sword in a great overhead arc with all the strength he could muster, fear and fury fueling his muscles.

With a plaintive squeak a rat the size of a particularly well-fed cat came leaping out from the inky fog, ducking underneath and between Arthur's stumbling feet and over towards the fire. With gasps of their own the men by the fire shrunk back at the movement and watched, wide-eyed, as the rat leapt over the campfire and continued running deeper down into the ruins, the pitter-patter of its paws echoing in the darkness until even that faded away.

For a moment there was only silence as the men stared at one another, shocked beyond words and even emotion as what just happened played in their minds over and over again.

And then, suddenly, there was laughter.

Peter, Reginald and Byron all turned and stared at Arthur, who had dropped his swords so as to hold onto his sides as he leaned against the wall and laughed his ever-living guts out. He was laughing so hard his face was a red, tear-stained, sore mess, he laughed until he was doubled-over and gasping for breath. He laughed until he was choking for just one more breath.

And then the rest of the lads joined in as well and for the first time in no doubt many long, hard years the halls of this ruined place were echoing with the sound of genuine merriment.

"'S just a rat," Byron wheezed, "just a fucking rat. You ever heard 'o that? Cor!"

Reginald was near about to fall out of his seat he was laughing so hard and even old gruff Peter couldn't hide the smile on his face as he spared a chuckle here and there, shaking his head and calling the rest of them a bunch of chickens.

"Women and children," he said, though without so much as a hint of the usual venom. "That's what I've got to deal with, women and children! Buncha fucking idiots you lot!"

Arthur watched his comrades laugh at his expense with a wide grin that stretched nearly from ear to ear. Oh, he'd be getting a ribbing for this later, a right laughingstock he was. Acting like this over nothing. With a rueful smile and a sardonic shake of his head Arthur turned back towards the dark tunnel and sighed.

About 2kg. of stainless steel came sailing out of the darkness and collided into Arthur's head. Inch long spikes pierced the skull and rendered the brain therein to bloody mush as fragments of skull went flying in wide arcs. Propelled by the force of the blow Arthur's body went careening backwards, landing in a heavy heap with an unceremonious _thump_.

"Arthur!" Peter shot to his feet and held up his gun. "What the fu-

There was a sound of thunder and Peter screamed and twisted, a fountain of blood spurting from his chest as he stumbled backwards and fell over into the fire. The sound of crackling, burning skin and a man's desperate screams soon filled the air as Peter thrashed and rolled amidst the burning coals.

Reginald and Byron stared dumbly at the display, slack-jawed and eyes shining with horror.

From out of the darkness stepped a demon in full-mail armor, cuirass shining brilliantly in the flames. A single eye like a burning coal glared balefully out of its shadowed face and from the beast's throat there came such a wild and powerful shriek that it shook the men to their very cores.

"Light preserve us," Reginald moaned, raising an arm in a feeble attempt to shield his face as the demon approached. In three steps it was upon him, roaring like a lion and swinging its terrible weapon down upon his head in three quick strikes. With heavy blows it fell on him, rending flesh and hewing bone as it scoured all blood from his body.

Byron watched this happen with mouth agape and eyes shining. He looked onwards, to Peter, lying still in the fire. Then to young Arthur, a crumpled heap in the corridor, from which Byron could already see two more demons emerging from the darkness.

Byron threw his swords down and with a howl of wild abandon turned and fled into the darkness.

He ran through miles of twisting tunnels and cobblestone corridors, under long decrepit arches of stone and marble, through rotten libraries full of forbidden and forgotten tomes and hidden libraries of arcane and mysterious design and origin he ran and ran and he never once looked back until his lungs were in agony and his legs were numb and every breath felt like a stab to his chest.

Only then, somewhere in the darkness, did old Byron stop, his only companion the sounds of his wheezing and gasping. He slapped a hand across his face and stifled a sob that threatened to tear his very throat at the seams. He couldn't see anything, the darkness surrounded him, suffocated him. That dreadful, awful, all-consuming blackness that stung his eyes and crept into the corners of his mouth no matter how tightly he grit his teeth.

A sudden surge of panic mixed with an odd sense of relief washed over him. He had escaped, he had gotten away, but he couldn't see, and with shaking hands Byron made for his side pack and rummaged about blindly for a moment or two till his twitching, nervous fingers clutched fervently to their prize.

With a triumphant cry Byron pulled out his matches and, chuckling to himself, he struck the match. Once, twice…

 _Snik_!

A flame was born, a tiny star shining alone and radiant amidst the night. Byron smiled down at it and looked up.

A gleaming white skull stared back at him through empty, black eye sockets.

Byron tried to scream but bones as cold and strong as iron wrapped around his throat and stole his breath away.

* * *

"You didn't have to kill them."

Lori Loud stared down impassively at the mangled form of the bloodletter. His face and head were a wreck, his mangled torso lay open and bare, intestines spilling onto the ground. Her auric armor, not so long ago pristine and untainted, was stained with his brackish blood. With a ferocious scowl the young woman wiped the spittle from her lip and spat contemptuously onto the carcass at her feet.

"Did you hear me?" Luna asked, her voice cutting into sister's mind with all the alacrity of a red-hot poker.

Lori took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, the let it out with a sigh. With a roll of her eyes she turned to her sister and fixed her with a glare. Luna already had her own waiting for her, and the little rocker spread her arms out wide as she demanded an answer.

"Y'know, as a matter of fact," Lori started, the irritation in her tone plain as day, "I _didn't_ think to ask if they'd be willing to just let us pass. I mean, maybe you want to give the same guys that _literally_ almost murdered you once a free pass for another go, but I'd rather keep you alive!"

Luna narrowed her eyes but lowered her gaze all the same as she bit her bottom lip and crossed her arms; it wasn't her way to admit defeat openly, but Lori had lived with her long enough to understand all her little habits. Lori regretted bringing up her sister's near demise, but she had to get her to see her way. Luna still believed that there could be other ways, she couldn't quite see that the truth that Lori had embraced.

There was no mercy down here, only survival.

"You don't know that," Luna said, but her voice lacked true conviction. "They might've been different, might've been willing to even help us. You can't just kill everyone you don't like Lori; it isn't right." Luna looked up at her sister and stood her ground, forcing an edge into her voice that only wavered slightly as her eyes rested on the eye-patch wound around her eldest sister's scarred face. "This isn't a videogame sis, these are people!"

Lori snorted at that, shaking her head as she turned away. She walked over to the dying fire and wrenched out a burning stick from the embers, kicking aside the still smoldering corpse of the fusilier.

"No, they're not," Lori simply stated, and continued her way into the ruins.

Behind her Luna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head slowly. A tender hand placed itself on her shoulder and Luna turned to behold the smiling, cherubic features of her second eldest sister, Leni.

The lass offered her younger sister a smile, but that was about all she could do. Luna took it all the same and returned the favor, though hers lacked the energy. With a silent nod that conveyed perhaps a bit more than she let on Leni gave her sister a quick pat and marched onward behind Lori, eager to keep pace with the fading light in the distance.

In the growing shadow Luna stood and watched the light grow fainter and fainter, the smile on her face following suit. She turned to her side and stared down at the body of the young man her sister had ambushed, his head smashed in and brain leaking from his concaved skull. He didn't seem so bad now, she thought, lying there. He'd died laughing...

An odd feeling settled in Luna's stomach then, one that twisted up her tummy into tangled knots. As the last of the light faded away Luna turned away from the corpse and towards her sisters; one hand resting on her midsection and the other grasping her pistol tightly as she raced along the stone halls, following the dismal beacon that marked their passage.

And all that remained were three bodies left to fester in the darkness.

* * *

 **A/N: Well now, wasn't that something!**

 **Now, first off, I just want to say that originally this chapter was going to be much longer, in fact everything you've just read was merely going to be the opening before the boss fight proper! However, I felt the scene transition didn't blend together as seamlessly as I would've liked, so I decided that in lieu of scrapping the opening or changing it, I'd just separate the chapters. The Necromancer's Apprentice will be coming up next, apologies to those looking forward to it but I'm taking measures to ensure it comes out beautifully.**

 **Now, this chapter was a bit of an experiment for me. An attempt to liven up the world as it were, to make the whole thing seem a bit real. When the story started it was merely the Loud siblings finding themselves stuck in a videogame but I'm trying to build on that concept and make it a bit more fitting of something as Lovecraftian as the Darkest Dungeon, and part of that entails making the world and all its peoples a little more fleshed out. Hopefully I don't botch it, but I've got high hopes at least!**

 **As always I'd love to hear what any of you have to say or what you think about this chapter or the story as a whole so be sure to leave a review, comments and critiques are always welcome, and I want each and every last one of you to stay safe and have a great day!**


	7. The Necromancer's Apprentice

**A/N:** **Well, well, hello gentle readers, looks like we're all here for another rousing tale of violence and misery staring everyone's favorite cartoon family! Again, my apologies for how long this chapter in particular took, but let's just say this one went through several revisions and what you're reading right now is, hopefully, the best of the lot. At the very least it's what I decided to ultimately put down, so let's hope I know what I'm doing.**

 **Right then, comments!**

 **C0rrupt3dSpy: Glad to hear you liked it friend! And yeah, I always wondered what the human enemies thought of all the madness going on, which was the primary reason for the chapters inception, as well as setting up certain character arcs and plot points, heheheh... so yeah! Let's just say I have something planned for the Bandits later, after we take care of that pesky Vvulf of course!**

 **booker68: I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying the story friend! Your kind words really mean a lot, and I'm trying really hard to make sure characterization is consistent and that the girl's reactions to what's happening around them are, to degree, believable and that any who aren't acting like their usual selves have good reason not to be. There will only be standard classes in the fic but I am contemplating having any classes that aren't represented by the Louds appearing as brief secondary characters, like the shop owners and Hamlet denizens. Now I'm not entirely sure what you mean by otherworldly dog, but if it's the Abomination you're referring to... I have plans for him!**

 **Disclaimer: I own neither the Loud House nor the Darkest Dungeon, these properties are owned by Chris Savino/Nickelodeon and Red Hook Studios respectively. This is merely a work of fiction for the purposes of entertainment only.**

* * *

 _ **...they're here...**_

 _Darkness is a terribly beautiful thing. Defined as the absence of light, though those of a more poetic inclination would perhaps prefer antithesis, for darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Light, however, is not bound by such limitations, for light and the creation of it is the simple act of keeping the darkness at bay. Light, therefore, is the acting force that imposes itself on the darkness and enforces itself with its continued presence; a violent action, some might say. But it is still a delicate position, for to survive the light must constantly exert itself to keep the darkness at bay, for the darkness cannot fight the light but it can wait._

 _And it does, at the edges of the light it waits, creeping closer and closer as the light slowly flickers away until finally it can smother out the embers and reclaim the emptiness._

 _Light, you see, is momentary and fragile, where Darkness is eternal._

 _ **...I can feel them...**_

 _All of this, of course, unveils the horrible truth of the matter; that darkness is, for all intents and purposes, the natural state of things. That light, and perhaps life itself, are, simply, unnatural. A brief flicker of flame that must, eventually, be subsumed. And if light, the very primordial force of creation itself, is so doomed to eventually die out, then what hope do mere humans have in the face of such unremitting indifference? What hope does one mere Man possess in the very face of his own mortality, his own insignificance in the grander scheme of things?_

 _And who could blame a Man, when he is faced with such things, to do anything else but cast off the shackles of such weak and ineffectual societal trappings as sanity and morality?_

 _ **...come then children...**_

 _I am so sorry, my children. So very sorry. For this, for everything. That my actions should lead to me ruin was understandable, acceptable even, but never in all my mad ravings and ramblings did I ever expect you to be dragged into such horrors as what you face now._

 _Stay strong my child._

 _ **...come to me...**_

 _PROTECT THEM!_

"Lori?"

Lori jolted awake, sucking in a deep haggard breath through clenched teeth as her one remaining eye, wide and shining in the torchlight, desperately scanned the inky blackness that loomed in front of her. Her mailed hand clenched around the handle of her morningstar so tight her fingers ached and her whole body tensed, as though expecting a strike to come sailing out from nowhere at any time, her muscles rippling hidden and unseen beneath her shell of metal and chain.

For a moment something was there, lurking, waiting in the dark. It watched her with hunger and hate, tense and eager for her to make the first move, for her to step out of line, to wander away from the Light and into the Dark-

"Lori? You alright luv?"

The voice cut through the haze in her mind with all the tenderness of a red-hot poker. The fog was set alight and pain rippled through her consciousness, starting in her head and working its way down her spine all the way to her legs.

And then just as suddenly as it came it was gone. Not totally though, no there was still something there, creeping in the back of her mind and content for now to mingle with all her blackest thoughts and self-doubts.

With a groan Lori clutched her head and tried to shake such inklings of despair from their threshold. For her troubles she was awarded a sore head and little else.

A hand, as light as a feather, landed on her shoulder and the weight of it kept her grounded. As first she startled a bit, and for a terrible moment there was the immense and sudden drive to take her elbow and just…

Lori turned slowly and looked into Luna's eyes. Her little sister stared up at her, confusion and concern apparent in equal measure as she searched her sibling's gaze for... for something...

And suddenly Lori was afraid Luna might find it, whatever it was.

"Can you hear me?" the voice asked, and Lori's brows knit together in suspicion as she saw Luna's mouth move. But that couldn't be Luna, she thought, the voice was all wrong. Too... slow. Too drawn out. There was a sort of echo to it, dull and just below the surface, like she was hearing her sister speak to her as if from underwater.

Lori made to respond but the second she opened her mouth a great deluge of gibberish did spew forth; a random smattering of syllables, half-formed phrases, and sounds that might've words in some other much altogether older language.

Luna presently withdrew her hand and stepped back, eyes wide and mouth open in a small O. From behind her Leni drew in, eyebrow raised and one finger on her lip. She said something then, but Lori couldn't hear her, it was as though she was suddenly a great distance away, her form blurry and her voice faded and dim.

And then, in a flash of golden sunlight and limpid crystal waters, she was there, brilliant blue eyes shining brightly in the dark a mere hair's breadth from her own. A hand reached out towards her and Lori scrambled back, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and more than a little ashamed for it though she couldn't quite say why.

Leni hesitated, her face stuck somewhere between concern and shock as her eyes quickly widened and she drew back, summoning Luna forward with a quick wave of her hand as she pointed at the oldest Loud's face with an outstretched finger that seemed suddenly more imposing than the cavernous walls that loomed around them. Lori watched with a sinking feeling in her stomach as Luna leaned in, her lids narrowed as she bit her bottom lip and shook her head slowly. She tried to ask what was wrong, but her voice came out slurred and garbled.

"You're bleeding," Leni said, her voice not at all dim and dull, but sharp, crisp, clear as a gunshot and twice as debilitating. Lori blinked owlishly as her sister's words sank in, rattling around her skull like nails in a bowl, echoing in the empty confines of her cracked psyche to the reverberations of a drumbeat.

As the ramifications truly began to sink in Lori held up a trembling hand to her face and clumsily wiped at her flesh, distantly aware that her fingers felt slightly... warmer. She held up her hand and marveled at the red glinting on her metal fingers, a beautiful shade of carmine in the flickering light of the fire. Lori looked up and wondered briefly just when Leni had taken the torch from her.

A sudden flash of pain erupted in Lori's skull, red-hot stabbing needles behind her eye sockets that made her vision swim and her head split as her mind was scoured and cleansed. Lori flinched and groaned, one hand resting on her pulsing temple and the other clenched so tight her arm was shaking. A tremor ran its way through her whole body and the terrible impulse to fall to her knees made itself evident in her trembling legs.

Her sisters closed in and with a snarl Lori pushed them back, slinking away from the light of the torch which had suddenly become unbearable to her, the heat and the brightness made her brain bleed. It was so harsh, wasn't it? So... unwelcoming. Nothing like the cool darkness of the tunnel, which was so much more accommodating in its sable embrace.

Yes... yes that's where she needed to be. Just for a minute, just needed to clear her head then she'd be fine. She'd be perfectly-

Can you feel it? The walls between the sane world and that unplumbed dimension of delirium are tenuously thin here...

A devil walks these halls... only the mad or the desperate go in search of him.

Amidst the waves of static din, the voice cut to her core and filled her brain with black thoughts and raw hate, with timeless weariness and a frantic yearning not even the ages could dim.

Lori widened her eye, stood up straight, and turned on her heels, marching up to the closest corridor wall where she reared back until her head was almost parallel with her spine and, without a sound or even the slightest hesitation, slammed her face into the stone with a sickening crack!

"Lori!"

"What the hell, Lor'!?"

For perhaps the first time in her life Lori truly was grateful to hear the keening, piping screeching of her younger sisters. The haze in her mind was gone... for the most part. Pain still clouded her senses but somehow, she knew this was a good pain; the kind of pain born not from supernatural or other unwholesome means, but the natural sort of pain one gets from slamming their head into a stone wall. Warm red life still trickled from her nose, and from the dull throbbing waves of pain pulsating through her skull she had a feeling she'd be dealing with one hell of goose egg tomorrow, but other than that she seemed to be fine. Her vision was already starting to clear up, so she decided she didn't need to worry about any possible concussions just yet; not like she had time for that kind of shit anyway-

A decidedly pointed cough grounded Lori in the present and she turned around to behold her two sisters staring at her with a mix of uncertainty, concern, and moreover apprehension. This was especially evident on Luna's face, chalk-white and lips pressed in a firm, thin line as she stared good and hard at Lori, and the eldest of the Loud siblings noticed with no small amount of trepidation that Luna's hand was resting quite comfortably on the hilt of her dirk.

She wanted an explanation, they both did. Hell, Lori wouldn't mind one either, but all she could offer was a noncommittal roll of her shoulders as she coughed into a closed fist and glanced off down into the tunnels.

The silence was pervasive. Invasive, even. It pierced the gentle gloom around them and interjected itself into the situation just as loudly as any gunshot. It was the kind of silence that demanded your attention, that looked you in the eye and dared you to break it.

Lori tried to swallow but found her throat too dry for even that.

"He's here."

All the girls jumped a bit, Luna and Leni because they weren't expecting it and Lori because she wasn't even aware she had said anything until the words were already out in the open, bursting forth from her unbidden and yet wantonly. If she could snatch them out of the air and take them back she would but the damage had already been done and there was naught to do but grit her teeth and press on.

"I... I could feel it," she continued lamely, her words slurring from the lingering numbness in her tongue. "He was... in here." Lori tapped the side of her head and winced upon being reminded so saliently that she was, in fact, wearing metal gauntlets.

As their sister massaged her poor abused noggin Luna and Leni shared a look, eyebrows raised, and mouths pressed tight. Leni's was the face of confusion and concern, she wasn't entirely sure about what was going on exactly but what she did know was that her elder sister was hurt and scared (even if she wouldn't admit it) and that made her upset and more than a little anxious about being down here. Lori was pretty much indestroyable – far away and back in the manor Lisa suddenly sat up, a pensive look on her face as she glared around the library, unaware of what exactly had just transpired but still convinced all the same that she'd need to give Leni another impromptu grammar lesson very soon – as far as Leni was concerned, and for something to be able to hurt her and not even be in the room was downright disconcerting.

Luna's expression, however, was a bit more repudiating.

"You sure about that?"

The downright callous tone of her voice was enough to invoke an immediate gasp of indignation of Leni's part, but Lori's was a bit more subdued if only because it took a bit longer for the insinuation to finally worm its way past her headache and into her mind proper. For a moment the eldest Loud said nothing, merely standing there with a look of confusion on her face, but as the words began to echo in her mind, as the tone in her sisters voice finally began to dawn on her, and as the look on Luna's face grew more and more irritating with each passing second, the more and more that look of confusion began to melt away into something far more familiar if not at all comforting.

"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Lori snapped, a glow in her eye as her upper lip curled up and over her right canine, an immediate sign of what was to come and one each and every Loud child was intimately familiar with.

Luna, therefore, must've been feeling pretty full of herself when she raised a single eyebrow and held her head up, arms crossed across her chest as she looked down (metaphorically of course, Lori still had a good six or so inches on her) on her sister.

"I'm just saying," Luna began, slowly, evenly, "are you sure you heard something? Because if we're being honest here sis, I don't think we can really trust your judgement on that."

Silence reigned for a good few seconds after that as Lori, struck dumb by the accusation, simply stood there, her back ramrod straight as every possible configuration on the emotional spectrum flashed across her face in quick order. Leni stood off to the side, looking down with a frown as she wondered whether she'd have to step in and defuse yet another fight, the seventh one this week as a matter of fact. Luna, for her part, simply stood back, her lips pressed into a thin, tight line and eyes narrowed as her oldest sister finally settled on what emotion she wanted to go with.

Face neon red, teeth bared, and a blazing inferno glowing in her eye, Lori took one large, heavy step towards her younger sister and looked down at her with an expression that could only be accurately surmised as apocalyptic.

"Excuse me," Lori growled, and the sound of it cast an ominous echo through the underground ruins. When she clenched her fist, it was with the sound of metal scraping against metal and at once Luna's eyes widened as if the severity of what she'd just said suddenly dawned on her.

Still, she'd come too far, and she had too much to say to simply stay quiet anymore. She wouldn't let her sister intimidate her, not this time. And so, Luna took a deep breath, steeled her gaze, and took a step forward herself.

"I mean..." Luna started, keeping her voice low and even and all the while praying that she hadn't gone so far Lori wouldn't just tune her out. She wasn't too worried that Lori would hit her or anything, sure she'd taken a few halfhearted swings at her before, even back… back home… but she was mostly bluffing when she threatened to turn you into a human pretzel. But then, could Luna be sure of anything anymore? Lori was... she was taking all of this especially hard, they all were, but if Luna's hunch was right, she wouldn't get anywhere by needlessly antagonizing her.

Well, that and she didn't especially fancy actually being on the receiving end of one of Lori's punches. Her occasional swats and swipes stung like a bitch even back when before she started wearing those metal gloves, and seeing as just last week she saw her older sister literally punch a bandit's lower jaw off, something told her a hit would do a bit more than just sting this go around.

"...look," Luna said with a sigh and a shake of her head as she threw up her empty hands palms-out, "I just mean, don't look at me like that luv it's not like that, it's just... are you sure is all?"

"Am I sure? This fucking headache of mine is pretty sure!"

"Dammit sis it's not the headache I'm worried about! You're bleeding, you spaced out for like two minutes there, damn near looked like you were going to run off into the darkness and just leave us behind! Not to mention you just, oh, I dunno, cracked yer head into the feckin' wall like a bleedin' sod! Something's up with you sis, don't even try to deny it! I've been watching you for a while now, I've been listening to you when you think I'm just noddin' off, and I know all about those little conversations you've been having with yourself. Now, I ain't saying that evil wizard guy can't do what you're saying, grimy bloke can raise the dead after all, but I want to make sure this brand of crazy ain't just your usual!"

A tense standoff ensued, with neither sister ready nor willing to back down. For a second thought, Luna saw it. A mere flash, a pang of uncertainty on her sister's face, vanished in a second and easily replaced with Lori's usual indifference and barely concealed rage.

But she saw it all the same, and that flash was all Luna needed to press her advantage.

She wasn't the only one, as it turned out.

"I think that's enough," a soft but firm voice interjected, and Luna jumped when a sudden and undeniable pressure exerted itself on her chest and she looked down to see that her sister Leni was keeping her back. Luna immediately resisted and was quickly reminded that for all her quirks Leni was just as much a force of reckoning as Lori when the mood overtook her, as was so evidenced when the normally ditzy blond scowled at her and gave a good push that nearly sent Luna sprawling to the floor.

A quick glance to Lori showed her in much the same position. Lori was the oldest, the biggest, the strongest, and wherever she went she did so with the general assumption that her siblings paid her heed.

But when Leni got serious, people listened!

"No more fighting," Leni said quite matter-of-factly, "I'm tired of it, and it doesn't help anything." The second oldest Loud child turned her unusually steely gaze towards Luna and though the rocker didn't flinch she did look down to the side when she felt her sister's glare on her. "It doesn't matter if Lori really felt it or not or whatever! She's hurt, that's what matters, that's what's important." And here Leni suddenly her glare towards Lori who, as expected, met her sister's gaze without much fuss other than the usual pout. "And you don't have to be so mean to Luna! She cares about you too y'know, more than you think. She's just worried about you and doesn't know how to express it because she's emotionally sensitive, and besides you know how shy she really is!"

"Oi, I'm not shy!"

"We're sisters, we need to stop fighting. Luna you need to stop trying to rile Lori up, she's trying her best and you're not helping! And Lori, you need to listen to Luna more, she cares about you and wants to help; please don't, like, shut us out..."

For a moment Luna and Lori were stunned. Did they just get chewed out by Leni? Leni!? And it made sense!?

Leni took this subsequent silence as her sisters genuinely taking her words to heart and, with her hands on her hips and an expression of grim resolution (or about as close to it as can expected from her) on her face, Leni closed her eyes, nodded her head, and reveled in her rightness.

And, in her heart of hearts, Leni felt something then. Something self-assuring, and more than a little enlightening. It would appear to Leni that this whole responsibility thing wasn't as hard as the others made it out to be. In fact, she found it rather agreeable.

Deciding to put aside such strange thoughts for later Leni turned to her elder sister, her face once again a reflection of the love and worry she always felt for her siblings when they suffered. "Are you okay?" she asked, and there could be no mistaking the earnestness in her voice for anything else but genuine concern.

For the second time that day – and, frankly, the whole month – Lori felt a great well of shame rise in her stomach and up into her throat. Leni's natural concern for her siblings had always had an interesting effect on her sisters, though none felt this so acutely as Lori. Leni was, in all ways, a beautiful person, whether it be appearance or emotion. She genuinely loved people, and when it came to Lori nothing could make her feel so loved or, paradoxically, timorous then Leni's concern for her well-being.

The only thing she could do was give a halfhearted shrug of her shoulders and give a noncommittal, "'M okay," as she scratched her chin and looked off to the side, refusing to make eye contact even as Leni leaned forward, her own eyes narrowed in consternation.

"Are you sure? We can go back up top if you like. Take a breather, make sure you're okay."

As Luna nodded her head in the background Lori jerked a bit, a sudden awareness of what her sister was saying making itself evident.

"No," Lori said immediately and with a note of absolute finality in her voice as she shook her head, patently aware of Luna's disappointed glare and decidedly not giving a shit. "We've wasted enough time as it is," she continued, and in her chest mixing well with the shame and remnant traces of nausea was the unmistakable pang of fear, of anxiety. "We literally can't let this guy get away again. We've wasted so much time already trying to find him, he can't get away, not after everything that's happened..."

Lori clenched her fist and grit her teeth, a sudden rush of anger pulsing through her core and stirring up all those other feelings and emotions like a whirlpool.

"...not after Lucy," she hissed, her one eye narrowed into a slit as her vision faded into a dull reddish tint. "Not after that, we're putting him down. We're finishing this, today!"

Silence followed her declaration, though Lori could hardly hear it for the raging inferno bellowing in her ears, drowning out her surrounding in a red fog that clouded the senses and drowned the self in a well of hate, wrath, and self-flagellation.

A hand, soft and doll-like in Lori's metal gauntlets, wrapped around her fingers, and all but instantly the pressure abated, and the rage faded away. Lori looked at the pale fingers intertwined around her own, like moonlight given physical form, and she was cowed by the strength such tender digits belied.

Lori looked up into Leni's face and saw only concern, love, and conviction in her eyes. If Lori wanted this, then so did Leni, because that was who her little sister was.

And for the first time in perhaps as many months Lori felt, against all odds, a tiny flicker of hope.

"Yeah... but do we really need to?"

Luna's voice cut through the gloom and the tender moment with all the subtlety of a chainsaw. Two faces slowly turned to face her, one radiating horror and shock, and the other practically incandescent with simmering acrimonious ire.

"Luna!" Leni shouted, the outrage in her voice giving it a harsh and decidedly un-Leni-like timbre. "How could you even-

"Now, now," Luna placated, holding her hands up, "give me a minute luv. I know how this sounds, mean 'ol Luna sayin' what needs to be said again, but there's a reason for that y'know!"

Leni gave a downright exasperated groan as she ran her fingers through her hair and massaged her temples. "We've been through this already Luna."

"Have we?" the rocker challenged; her irritation now plainly visible as she affixed her elder sisters with a harsh glare. "'Cause it seems to me that what really happens is that I try and say something sensible and you lot just shut me out!"

"Luna-

"No!" Luna snapped, and stomped a boot for emphasis. "I'm sick of this!" With a pointed sneer Luna marched right up to them and stood in front of Lori, and it was her in particular that she seemed to be talking to now as she crossed her arms and stood firmly in place.

Something that did not go unnoticed by Leni either, as the second eldest placed the glove on her right hand back on with a scowl.

"We don't need to do any of this Lori, none of it! We don't need to go around pretending we're nobles, or that this place is really ours. We don't need to go around trying to fix this place, its people, its lives. And we especially don't need to go around fighting monsters and other unnaturalities just because you think we should! We don't need any of this!"

Lori let out a great sigh through her nose as she clenched her fingers one by one, each of them making a nice pop that could be heard even through the metal. Luna's eyes glanced towards the encased fist for a second, but to her credit she didn't back down.

"We need to go home," Lori rumbled, her tone having taken a deeper pitch, almost like a growl.

"Exactly!" Luna shrieked, raising her hands up as her arms went out wide. "We need to go home! The problem is that you seem to think running around playing pretend with the local drunks is going to get us anywhere! For Christ's sakes Lor' staying here isn't going to fix anything, and you don't know that stopping this Necromancer kook is going to suddenly send us home either!"

Luna took a deep breath then, trying to collect herself as she pinched her brow and slowly shook her head, lowly muttering under breath. Lori's eye glowed balefully in the light of the torch Leni still held, her barred teeth glinting as she hissed:

"I know what you're going to say Luna, and the answer is no!"

"And why not!?" Luna snapped. "Why the hell not? I've been saying we need to get out of this rat's nest for weeks now; you don't want to listen to me, but you know I'm right! We need to get out of here, find a way to get back home, at the very least get some fuckin' help!"

"And what then!" Lori snapped right back. "What then Luna? You go out there, into that big, hard world and what then? You don't know where we are, you don't know anything about this place, how long it will take to get to another town, what's out there in the woods, or if there's even any other towns out there! You don't know anything at all!"

With a snarl Luna was in her sister's face, eyes wide and burning and she spat, "At least it'd be something! At least we'd be doing something, instead of just sitting around, putting our lives in danger, pretending that we're getting somewhere when, newsflash Lori, we're not!"

"If we want to get home-

"This isn't going to get us home! None of this shit is going to get us home! You're deluded, you're living in some kind of fantasy! You're convinced that if we do all this shit it'll magically send us home but we have no idea if it will, no reason to believe it at all! If we left at least we'd be safe, if wanting to go home isn't enough for you then how about that Lori? Keeping us safe! Like a good big sister should!"

Leni's gasp echoed through the tunnels and was followed quickly by the sound of leather against flesh as the blond teen slapped a hand over her mouth. Lori's eye widened and her face went neon, her hands trembling as she held them to her side. A harsh, cold sneer spread across Lori's face as she leaned in and snarled at her sister:

"And what about the others Luna? It's one thing for you, me, and Leni, but Lisa's four. Lola's just a shell, she hasn't talked in a month, and Lucy can't even walk!"

Luna looked at the floor. "We'll find a way, I'm not sayin' we leave them behind."

"But you are," Lori insisted, hissing through tightly grit teeth, "you are saying that. What about Lynn, and Lincoln? What about Lana, or Luan? What about them Luna? THINK! If we just up and leave what about them, where do they go? Who helps them if we're not here Luna, tell me!?"

Silence. Lori took a step back, that cold sneer still on her face, the kind of expression that practically screamed primacy and victory. Leni, one hand still pressed against her mouth and the other holding the torch, looked between the two of them, her own expression far more dismal.

"What do I think?"

Luna took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then breathed out in a sigh. She suddenly sounded tired, forlorn even.

"What do I think!?"

Lori blinked as Luna's voice took a sudden turn, her tone trembling with an unmistakable edge.

Luna's head shot back up and she stared at her sister with a vengeful gaze and a quivering lip.

"I think it's time we stop living in a fantasy Lori! I think it's time we stop pretending things are okay, or that what we're doing matters! I think it's time we stop pretending that... stop pretending that..."

Luna bit her bottom lip and shook her head rapidly, sending stray tears flying in all directions before wiping her face with her bandanna and glaring at her sister with barely constrained fury.

"I think it's time we stop pretending that we're not all that's left!"

Luna's words, and the intent behind them, hung in the air heavier than any miasma and far more noxious and suffocating besides.

Lori said nothing, the white of eye gleaming but her pupil small and dark. Her hand stopped trembling.

Luna took a few deep breathes before continuing, "It's been a month and we haven't found anyone after Lucy. If... if any of the others came here too then... well then... dammit you know what I'm saying," Luna sobbed, her face scrunched up in misery. "It's too late for them Lori, you know it is. But not for us, we still got Lisa, Lola, and Lucy, and we can get them outta here, we still got a chance to save them, to save ourselves, we just gotta-

It was instinct and instinct alone that saved Luna.

It certainly wasn't a deliberate action, she hadn't even seen it coming, not consciously anyway. Her subconscious though had read the signs clearly, had taken stock of the situation, and had reacted accordingly.

Luna flinched and jerked her head backwards. There was a rush of sound and motion, not of wind but of pure force, enough to send Luna reeling and left her faint in the knees. A metal-encased fist sailed through the air a mere centimeter from the tip of Luna's nose; from where, had she not flinched, her temple was but a few scant moments ago.

"LORI!"

The piping keen of Leni's scream was soon followed by the dull and heavy sound of leather against flesh, the smack echoing through the empty dust-filled corridors of the old ruins. Such was the force of Leni's blow that Lori was sent stumbling backwards, nearly falling on her ass in all that heavy armor.

Upon catching her footing the eldest Loud stood there, stooped and one hand gingerly rubbing the bright red mark on her cheek. Though she looked at them Lori's gaze seemed distant, unfocused, like there was a heavy fog that clouded over her pupil.

Leni was on her in an instant. With a red gleam in her eyes and a feral glint to her teeth she pressed her face into her sister's and snarled into her ear:

"You don't touch her. You hear me? Don't you ever touch her again! I won't let you, understand!"

A stand-off ensued, a tension so palpable that Luna damn near chocked on it. Lori stood there and suffered her sister's abuse, her breath heavy but even as the glaze in her eye slowly dissipated and some semblance of normalcy (or whatever passed for it in this God forsaken land) was restored.

That one lone dreadful eye flicked over to Luna but just as quickly flicked away. Luna could feel her heartbeat echo in her head and she suddenly felt nauseous as the full weight of what had almost just happened fully dawned on her.

Lori was the first to back down, her head kept low and her one eye kept out of focus as she rubbed her cheek some more.

Leni stepped back as well, her arms kept still at her sides and her shoulders bunched up as she glared down her elder sister.

Lori suddenly stood up straight. She rolled her shoulders underneath her armor and nodded her head once, before spitting onto the floor.

"If you want to leave, then go ahead..."

Luna perked up but Lori wasn't looking at her, her gaze still fixed stolidly on the floor. Lori gave a sort of half-hearted wave of her hand then let it fall back to her side.

"I won't stop you," she continued, her voice heavy as she sighed out every word. "Do whatever you want, I don't care." Lori shook her head, the movement strained as though her head weighed a ton. "But not me," she said, a sudden pang of conviction in her tone as she clenched her fist, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to just run away because it's hard. I know the others are alive, and I'm not going to just leave them behind."

Lori spat on the ground again, though some it dribbled down her chin. She wiped at it clumsily and it seemed to the others that she wasn't quite in control of her movements. Leni reached out to her, but Lori smacked her hand away with a grunt. With that same hand Lori gestured to the torch in Leni's hands and held her hand out, clutching her fingers halfway.

Leni made no move other than to tighten her grip.

The two stared at one another for a moment before Lori's one eye slowly narrowed and her upper lip curled back. With a huff she around and began to march off, though her movements seemed notably ore sluggish than normal, and Luna suspected it had nothing to do with all that heavy steel armor.

Suddenly Lori stopped and turned around, and Luna's blood turned to ice when her sister's level, even glare fell upon her. Lori's features seemed almost resplendent in the flickering torchlight, her golden hair matted with dried blood, that one long scar that ran down her entire face, marring what had once been an otherwise beautiful face. The eyepatch that hid what Luna had seen firsthand been lost...

Lori looked into her sister's face and frowned.

"You're a coward Luna, you always have been."

And then she turned around and without so much as sound marched off into the darkness. Luna and Leni stared after her, their faces as different as night and day and reflective of what they'd just experienced and how they took it.

Luna took a deep shuddering breath and shook her head. Something wet leaked from her eye and crawled its way down her cheek and she wiped it away with a sniff. Leni glanced at her but otherwise said nothing. Luna turned to her and swallowed the lump in her throat to say:

"You... y'know I didn't mean it like... like that, right Leni? I wasn't tryin' to say that we just leave 'em, I was just-

Leni started walking forward, the hem of her habit trawling behind her and kicking up a storm of dust in her wake. She said nothing, but she did glance back, and her once vibrant eyes looked cold and tired and dull. The corner of her mouth was turned up ever so slightly in what was perhaps meant to be a reassuring or sympathetic gesture, but as Leni turned back to look forward Luna saw that smile deepen back into a frown and a wetness in the corner of her eyes shined brightly in the light.

Luna screwed her eyes shut and slapped a gloved hand over her mouth, trying to muffle the sobs that wracked through her body. The weight of what had just transpired laid heavily upon her, suffocating her like a heavy wet blanket that pulled her down.

It was like she couldn't even breathe.

As Leni drew further and further away the light from the torch faded as well, it's warmth and comfort replaced by unfamiliarity and cold. In the light's absence the darkness drew in and Luna shivered as a chill ran down her spine and she realized she was alone.

Luna wiped her face, swallowed the sorrow in her breast, pulled up her bandanna and raced after her siblings.

She made sure, though, that she stayed at the back of the procession, always skirting at the edges of the shadows behind her sisters with one hand firmly clenched around the grip of her pistol and a steely gaze leveled at the back of Lori's head.

* * *

In the darkness old, dead things stirred.

The rattling of bones and the scrapping of metal on stone echoed in the black, heralding the passing of unseen and unwholesome things that thirsted for the warmth of life they'd been deprived, had been denied. How long had they waited, here, beneath the earth, in the cold and dark? How long had they been sleeping in the earthy embrace of the grave, only to be stirred, roused from their slumber? How long had the dead thirsted and hungered for that which could no longer satiate them, for what they could never again possess?

In the cold and dark of the earth the dead walked.

With great clanging steps in metal-shod boots skeletal shoulders stepped in some foul parody of the marches they'd perfected in life, reduced to same pale facsimile as they lurched about grotesquely. The remains of peasants and other unfortunates who'd wandered down into the ruins of the old estate, perhaps in search of treasure or respite from the law for some grievance or other, were possessed by the same hideous machinations that divined their destruction, forced to wander eternally alongside their unnatural murderers.

The scrapping of stone grinding against stone growled out from the depths as the lids of great olden coffins were rolled aside, their residents eager to return among the living to enact the same pain they felt upon them. Or perhaps not, perhaps there was nothing left of them at all, not even hate or rage or grief.

Perhaps there was only Them.

A malignant malaise filled the air as the crackling of powers both unseemly and eldritch filled the air. The torches placed along the walls suddenly alight with green flames, witch fire most unnatural and horrible to bear, it burned the eyes and the soul to behold and filled even the stoutest men with fear and woe. There subtle pressure, much like what a man might sense before a storm, and it only grew and grew until it seemed as though a thunderstorm raged below the earth. Wind swelled through the corridors sending wild shrieks that echoed throughout the underground, and the sound was soon followed by the noise of the dead clambering and stomping.

The dead gathered, metal scrapping on stone, bones clattering against armor, the dull thuds of rustic arms being slammed into the floor as the dead began their gruesome ritual. There would be no chanting, the dead were unable.

As the noise grew and grew so did the electricity that filled the great hall. And it was a great hall, the kind with a grand open space for the blue-blood to gather and mingle, and before that a wonderful staircase, ringed with gold and red-carpets, no doubt were the host would descend to bask amongst the glow and praise of their peers.

Finally, a light! Red and hellish in its glow and significance, as though the very gates of Hades had opened up from atop the stairway, from the open doorway.

The dead stopped.

The noise didn't.

Lilting half-formed whispers filled the air to accompany the unbearable pressure. The dead swayed in their ranks. The torches flickered wildly, and the walls bled.

Shadows filled out in the hell lights.

There came a crackle of lightning, green and loathsome, followed by miasma so thick it swirled down the stairway like a vile, disease-ridden fog.

The Necromancers Three came gliding out from the glowing doorway. Where they trailed, they left rot in their wake, blackening the wood and scouring the very stone, malodorous miasma and disease clouds wafting off them as thick as storm clouds. Green lights flashed off them sporadically to dance along the floors and walls, pirouetting off into the air and casting ravenous shadows to lurk along the dark and forgotten corners of the underground.

The foremost and tallest of the three floated onward, ever-so-slightly ahead of his fellows. His robes undulated rhythmically as strange protuberances made themselves evident if not visible and all the more frightening for their mystery. Red sleeves were raised skyward as mummified arms and skinless talons reached out towards the ceiling. A strobe light effect of vibrant colors filled the air, casting malformed shades that coalesced into runic characters of ill portent.

The skeletons stamped their feet in a rhythm, their weapons held aloft.

The spectacle, if it could indeed be called that, continued in this fashion for a short while, until finally the lights and the noise died down as the Necromancer Master slowly lowered his arms. The skeletons waited, arms pointed outwards and upwards towards their undead masters.

 _"The enemy... has arrived..."_

The words came out as cold and harsh as frostbite, rasping like metal on stone, sharp and biting, as unremitting as the grave.

 _"The children... are here... we can feel their air... the hateful beating of their hearts..."_

The skeletons straightened their backs, arms held out in a silent salute.

 _"They are strong... but we are beyond strength... we are the end!"_

The army beat their arms against the ground three times, sharp strikes that sent echoes throughout the catacombs.

The Two joined their Master, heads held low and arms folded.

 _"Go... our apprentice... you alone will try them... penance for your failure..."_

One of the figures drifted outwards and away from its fellows.

 _"This one obeys..."_

Gliding silently down the stairs the Apprentice waded into the sea of the dead. Bones clattered and arms scrapped violently against the cobblestone as the dead turned aside to let their master through. As the lights flickered and the darkness closed in the red of the Necromancer's cloak faded into the gloom and, as one, the dead turned to follow.

Atop the stairs The Two watched silently, arms held stiffly at their sides and heads bobbing slightly to the rhythm of something unseen and unheard to all but them, the very pull of the grave itself.

Slowly the Undead retreated, their cloaks billowing outwards as they glided backwards into the glowing maw from which they'd emerged. The lights dimmed in their passing and the shadows redoubled their ravenous movements.

 _"And be warned... should you fail... your suffering shall only begin!"_

The witch fires died, and the Darkness rushed in to reclaim the world.

* * *

Something rang out in the darkness.

Lori Loud stopped, eye narrowed and hand already resting on the hilt of her morningstar. With pricked ears she cast her baleful glare all around her, inspecting each shadow and crevasse for a sign that something lurked unseen and waiting. Barring her teeth Lori waited and listened, straining to prick out even the tiniest of noises amongst the gloom that bore down on her from all sides, itself waiting for her to make even the slightest of mistakes-

A sudden pressure exerted itself of Lori's back and sent the girl stumbling forward with a grunt of surprise. Flailing her arms around Lori took three quick steps to catch her balance and then turned on a dime, brow furrowed and a swear on her tongue as she glared down her sheepish sister.

"Oops!" Leni said, smiling and shrugging her shoulders, one hand holding the torch and the other trying to straighten out her habit. "Like, totes sorry Lori…"

The glare did not abate.

Leni waited a moment before the distinct impression of frustration marred her cherubic face. "Well," she stared, irritation plain in her tone, "maybe if you didn't just stop in the middle of the hall, I wouldn't have- OOF!"

With an unceremonious crash Leni was sent stumbling forward herself, but luckily managed to catch her footing before she took a spill. With a growl of her own Leni whirled around and Luna took a few steps back, hands held up placatingly.

"Sorry, sorry!" the rocker said quickly with a worried grin. Lori grunted out what might've been a chuckle in another life while Leni crossed her arms and huffed, and it was all Luna could do but kick out her foot and scuff the floor as she muttered, "I said I was sorry! Why're we even stopping anyway?"

Leni opened her mouth, but after a second or two closed it and turned around back to Lori, fastening her glare back onto her elder sister. "Yeah sis, what's the ma-

"SHUSH!" Lori hissed, and both her sisters went still, eyes wide with alarm yet clearly focused. They'd done this song and dance too many times now to get cold feet, and when Lori told them to shush, they knew to listen.

And so, they stood there, and they listened.

Bodies tense and heartbeats drumming in their skulls Leni and Luna perked their ears and peered into the all-pervading blackness that surrounded them, trying to drown out all else in a vain attempt at piercing the murk beyond the firelight to unveil what their sister believed to lurk therein.

For Lori, it was an altogether simpler affair. Her heartbeat was calm, even, her mind unclouded from doubts or fears, and now that her sisters had been informed, she focused all her faculties on tuning out all else but what she knew was out there, waiting and unseen.

Lori's fingers coiled tightly around the grip of her morningstar, the heft of it resting easily in her palms as she unfastened it from her holster and held it aloft, and in her other hand her shield was facing upwards and resting lightly on her shoulder. With the dull thud of her heartbeat echoing softly in her head Lori glared all about her with that one, baleful eye glowing in the last vestiges of the light, on the very edge of the void itself.

She stared out into the void and was distinctly aware of the fact it was staring back at her.

Good.

 _CRRRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAK!_

With a snarl Lori shot backwards, her coiled legs, tense and taut, exploding into action and her body stiff and unremitting as she collided with her younger sister, lifting her off her feet and sending her careening backwards into Luna. The two of them stumbled but managed to catch themselves at the last second, though it could be plainly stated neither of them were exactly happy.

"Lori!?"

"What the he-

A spear point, red with rust and glinting evilly in the flickering torchlight, erupted from the darkness, stabbing into the air where Leni's head had been but a few scant seconds ago. A terrible noise filled the corridor as the rusty metal scrapped against Lori's shield, sending sparks flying upwards and out from the sheer force of the impact.

Lori, true to form, did not buckle under the onslaught, but using her momentum instead twisted her torso and sent the spear's point into the stone floor with a swing of her arm. Lori took a half-step back and for an instant the skeletal abomination was laid bare in the torchlight that streamed over her shoulder, a gleaming skull that stared out at her through empty eye sockets half-rested in the shadows of a cobweb infested doorway that the three had passed by without even noticing.

Still following her momentum Lori's right arm lashed out and the grinning skull was dashed to pieces as the heavy iron of Lori's weapon tore through the bone, sending fragments in a wide arc to clatter against the walls and floor. Instantly the spell that held the moldy old bones together was sundered and the skeleton fell to pieces that clattered against the ground, armor crashing alongside its' remains.

Lori no longer cared about the noise.

The battle was on!

The Undead streamed out of forgotten halls and doorways long suffering from disuse; like a festering, rotting tide they surged forth and over the girls, intent on drowning them beneath their stinking weight.

They'd be sorely contested.

The din of battle rang out as a muddled frenzy began, that old dance of life and death as the desperate struggle for survival takes hold.

With a swear on her lips and a savage grace befit of a woman who had dealt extensively with such situations Luna expertly ducked under an errant swing. The skeleton swung with all the wild abandon of a drunkard, but even with impaired motor skills the force of the blow was nothing to scoff at, and Luna winced as the scene earlier with Lori played through her head.

It wasn't healthy, she knew this, but it was with a certain twinge of satisfaction that she swung her sword in turn, neatly severing the skull from the rest of the body, and imagined the white featureless bone supplanted by her eldest sister's face.

Leni was a frenzy, a whirlwind of cracked bone and broken armor as weapons and femurs alike snapped under the weight of her iron mace which she delivered upon them in crushing precise blows. She was in a fugue, a none too uncommon sight as the second-eldest had been recently prone to slipping away in the fervor of battle; which isn't to say she wasn't paying attention, if anything without the pesky distractions of thought and personality her attention was now undivided and focused entirely on her immediate surroundings.

She muttered to herself incessantly, unceasingly, an endless deluge of whispered words and half-formed phrases. Even in her detached state Leni prayed, as she had taken to doing every night since the return of her spookiest little sister, though she never prayed so fervently as she did in battle; though she could never recall what exactly she said during such times.

With a savage swing a skull was sundered. With a whip of her arm a spear snapped in half. With a might crack a ribcage was splintered. Kneecaps were crushed, arms pulverized, legs ground to mere dust under her onslaught as the bone rabble were reduced to rubble.

And then there was Lori. Lori Loud, ever the figurehead, foremost to the fray. A lighthouse amongst the storm, a bulwark weathering the endless waves of her enemies crashing upon her. With shield in hand she endured, with her morningstar she wrought a bloody sum from the enemy, each fractured skull and splintered bone another tally on a scoreboard only she kept. Lori did not fight with like her sisters, where Luna was analytical marked with sudden bouts of precise energy and Leni a whirling dervish of precise yet wild blows, Lori was a well of barely restrained wrath. Slow, deliberate, and yet each strike rang out with all the ferocity of a thunderbolt and the grace of a felled tree. She swung out her weapon in a wide arc and three more were struck down.

And still the dead came.

They came without warning. They came without fear. They came without sound. They came without reservation. They came without delay.

They came without end.

And in the back of her mind Lori knew that, eventually, something would give.

"This way!" Lori shouted in a voice like thunder, desperate to be heard over the chaotic cacophony. She was answered by way of gunshot and the showering of skull fragments from a skeletal crossbowman who had been leveling its weapon at Lori's head only to find its own blasted apart by biting grapeshot.

Luna met Lori's single eye for but a second before leaning forward and leveling her shoulder into Leni's side, shoving her through a brief gap in the tide of the dead that closed up just as soon as they passed. The paradigm shifted the very second they reached their sister, while the three were terrors alone enough to stay all but the fiercest of villains by themselves it was when they were together, fighting in tandem, that their talents and abilities truly shined.

With their backs together the three formed a triangle as they visited ruin upon the encroaching horde of the dead, hacking and smashing with the best of them. Skulls were cracked open, rusted spears and swords knocked away by errant swings, and frankly there's hardly anything humorous about a snapped humerus, unless of course you're the one doing the snapping!

And yet the dead still came. They pressed on, relentlessly so. Wooden clubs smashed into Lori's armor as rusty swords clanged against her shield. Fleshless hands grasped at her tender face as she struggled desperately against the bony claws that sought out her arms and legs, trying to pin her down. It was similar story on all fronts, and Lori could see through the corner of her one good eye Luna panting, sweat pouring down her face as she jerked aside from an axe swing that had been aimed right at her torso.

Sudden searing pain rang throughout her body and Lori hissed and twisted as she looked down, her face growing pale as she saw the red spear point that had grazed her inner thigh just below her armor. The blood running down her leg almost seemed to glow...

The deafening crack of a gunshot brought Lori back and her eye narrowed as the skeletal spearman doubled back, its ribcage blown open by grapeshot. Lori pressed the advantage and brought her morningstar down square on its grinning skull, driving the weapon all the way down into the clavicle then, with a flick of her wrist, tossed it into the crowd. The weight of the bones sent a few of the rabble stumbling and Lori saw the opening she'd been waiting for.

"MOVE! _NOW_!"

Leveling her shield to her front Lori tensed her legs muscles and sprang forward, crashing into the undead just before they could close the gap, forcing them apart as she drove onwards. With the reassuring pressure of her sisters pressing against her back Lori pressed on, her muscles like coiled ropes of iron as she pushed through the horde, pushing them back with her shield, the crowd too thick to even use her weapon as she put all her strength in keeping her shield straight and even, in just putting one foot in front of the other.

It was grueling work, that slog through the dead. And though the goal had to only be a few meters before her, Lori and her sisters fought savagely for each inch they gained. And gain they did, little by bloody little, each nick and cut another tally in the name of their slow and arduous progress until, with one final scream and push, Lori forced aside a skeleton and found herself face to face with her goal.

The open doorway loomed before her, its wooden frame long since rotted away, darkened maw lined with cobwebs and a healthy coating of dust. With a heavy shove Lori sent another skeleton sprawling and stumbling over its fellows and used the brief opening to push through.

Reaching out blindly Lori grabbed the hem of Luna's shirt and half dragged the poor lass behind her as she entered the empty room. With one sister secured Lori turned on a dime and rushed back into the fray, her one eye fixed squarely on Leni.

Her concerns proved unfounded; Leni was already hot on her sisters' heels when Lori made Luna break rank to get her through the door. The blonde was a whirlwind of energy and destruction and the doorway provided a most excellent place for her to visit her wrath upon her enemies as they tried to pile onto her. Crammed into the doorway the skeletons were thoroughly entrenched, and with the endless waves behind them trying to force their way through there was no chance for them to try and right this most unfortunate of positions.

Something that Leni was going to be fully capitalizing on.

It had, in fact, started during the fight itself proper, but with the chaos of battle all around none had the time to notice, least of all Leni herself. It could be said that Leni always had a natural glow about her, her beauty and wonderful personality a metaphorical beacon of light to shine down upon the masses of her peers. And even with everything that's happened, this glow, this unwavering determination and love and just all around Leni-ness, hadn't faded.

Indeed, it'd only become stronger.

A bit more... literal.

When the fight was in full swing Leni shined with the same dull glow of the torch she still held in one hand, a golden tint to her skin that seemed to shine from underneath that only grew in ferocity and radiance with each blow she delivered. Now that the battle had reached its crescendo, however, she had become a blazing inferno, a literal lighthouse from which her luminescence cascaded off in golden waves. Leni stared out with eyes like a furnace and the skeletons paused.

An unseen battle took place, a contest of the wills that neither Lori nor Luna were privy too. Lori's skull rang with static and she flinched mid-step. Luna moaned, a deep low sound that started somewhere in her chest and came out the back of her throat, clutching her head and shaking it slowly as she tottered in place.

Leni bared her teeth and took a step towards the horde.

The skeletons shrank back, and the world seemed to grow hazy around the edges.

Leni dropped her mace. The iron made a nice clanging noise as it struck the stone.

The light was blinding now. Lori cupped a hand over her brow and tried to squint past the light, the ringing was growing louder.

Leni reached into her habit and pulled out her book. With a flourish of her wrist she opened it and her eyes, intense and burning like twin suns, narrowed into slits. Steam rose from her golden flesh and the room became as an oven, and Lori shrank back, unable to bear her sisters form.

Leni stepped forward and raised up her book.

 _"Mors tua, vita mea!"_

The Light filled the room. There was the sound of thunder, distant and yet near. The heat and smell of ozone flooded Lori's senses, and the crackle of electricity sent chills up her spine.

The world exploded…

…and then all was silent.

Lori waited until the heat that singed the hairs on her arms wilted away. She waited until the light that burned her eye even from behind her hand to fade. She waited until the sounds of thunder and lightning dissipated. She waited until the static in her head finally waned until it was replaced by the faint sounds of heavy breathing.

When Lori opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was that the doorway was no longer there. Or, rather, it's remains were, the rest of it had collapsed, the stones that once held it up blackened and cracked as the entire section of the wall itself collapsed into a ruinous heap. Broken bones jutted out of the rubble like gleaming white branches, and the skeletons on the other side could be heard, faintly, beating at the stone, trying to force their way in.

The second thing she noticed was Leni, doubled over before the rubble, steam billowing off her body which, little by little, lost its golden sheen until there was nothing left but her dull grey-brown habit. Bending over at the waist Leni coughed and coughed until she hacked up a nice wade of phlegm on the ground.

Getting to her feet Lori groaned, smacked the side of her head a few times, and stumbled over to Leni on shaking legs. Lori draped over her sibling like some kind of iron-clad security blanket and held her tight, rocking her from side to side as she whispered into Leni's ear how proud she was of her and what a great job she did and other such sweet nothings.

After some much needed encouragement (and perhaps a raspberry or two at the crushed remains of the skeletons) Leni was ready to head on, her breath caught up and her mind clear of the "funny feeling" as she so succinctly put it. Turning towards the other end of the room – a musty dust pile of rotten chairs and what looked like sofas and an ancient fireplace long since gone cold – Lori and Leni saw their sister Luna peeking out from another doorway, her shoulders and legs tense as she glanced out into the halls, the torch Leni had dropped in her own hands as she scanned the edges of the shadows it cast.

For a moment or two neither Leni nor Lori moved, made nary a sound, and silence – if you discount the resonant if muffled thumping on the other side of the collapsed wall – reigned as Luna twisted her body around the corners of the doorframe and craned her neck to peer down the empty halls.

And empty they were, or near as Luna could tell, as evidently displayed when she turned around and with a wave of her hand beckoned her sisters forward. Leni paused to pick up her mace before she and Lori joined Luna's side and the three gave one more quick glance down the darkened halls before slinking out of the doorway, ears pricked and eyes wide as they quickly shuffled down the corridor, eager to put some distance between them and the undead but careful not to make undue noise that might attract them.

After all, this was their domain, and who knows what else lurked down here.

Who knows indeed... ?

 _Mastery over life and death was chief among my early pursuits. I began in humility, but my ambition was limitless. Who could have divined the prophetic import of something as unremarkable... as a twitch in the leg of a dead rat?_

Time has no meaning deep below the Earth. Lori had come to learn this over her internment here in this strange land, in her delving's into the ruins that pockmarked the landscape outside the manor she and her sisters now resided. Oftentimes, during Lori's sojourns to this place in search of the enemy she hunted so relentlessly, she'd spend days at a time in the darkened tunnels without even realizing, other times she'd find that only mere hours had passed.

Truth be told, Lori no longer concerned herself with such paltry matters, her attention was focused solely on more important delegations.

Chief among them their quarry.

The Necromancer, or at least the Apprentice. How many were there? All she knew was that there was something down here responsible for these zombies and ghouls and who knows what else. For a month now Lori's been hunting for him, though the sorcerer had always somehow managed to elude her. The Ruins were deceptively large, larger than Lori suspected they should be, in a way that didn't even feel physical at times, and wherever these freaks had squirreled themselves away they'd done good.

Not for much longer though.

Of course, there were other matters to attend too. Never mind that there was apparently more than one Necromancer down here – and Lori especially dreaded the thought of spending yet more months searching these halls for more rotted horrors – there were the Brigands to contend with. The remnants of her so-called Ancestor's personal army that decided to stick around and wring whatever they could out of what was left of this once no-doubt prosperous community. Lori had dealings with them already, and the thought of that first day, of what they'd done to Luna, brought a fresh wave of anger through her.

Oh, she'd had her revenge ten-fold already. She'd sent her message to this Vulf fellow carved into the flesh of his bandits, but Lori knew his type and she knew more that it wouldn't be so easy to be rid of him.

And then, there was the Flesh Cult. A sudden and powerful surge of disgust and raw hate flowed through her blood as she thought of them, of what they did to the people they captured and brought down here. She thought of the missing people in the Hamlet, taken off the streets or from beds found empty in the morning. She thought of what they would have done to Lola, what they had done to Lucy...

Oh yes, she would have to root out this infection. She would stamp it out at the source, she would cut away the diseased flesh with her own two hands if she had to.

Indeed, she was looking forward to it.

 _I entertained a delegation of experts from overseas, eager to plumb the depths of their knowledge and share with them certain techniques and alchemical processes I had found to yield wondrous and terrifying results. Having learned all I could from my visiting guests, I murdered them as they slept._

The static didn't come suddenly, nor did it come without warning. It starts subtly, almost silently, as though from a great distance, and so muted as to almost be unnoticeable until it begins in earnest. Lori heard it from the beginning, in fact she'd been seeking it out, waiting for it. For a moment she wondered if that perhaps meant it wasn't really there, that her desire to hear it clouded her senses. Then Luna flinched and held up a hand to her head, her eyes narrowed, and lips pressed into a thin line as she slowly shook her head, and Lori knew it was real.

In an odd way she was almost thankful. At least now she was sure they were heading in the right way.

At her side Leni tripped mid-step and had to right herself at the last minute. She was holding her head, an expression of dawning confusion and even pain on her face as her mind tried to catch up with the sensations her body had been slowly trying to deal with for no-doubt minutes now. Her eyes wandered over to Lori but flashed away the second she caught her gaze.

Guilt, perhaps? Lori didn't really care and put the notion out of her mind entirely.

She had to focus. The end was almost here, and an air of excitement filled her mind as her muscles twitched and her head bobbed to an invisible rhythm. The hunt was upon her, the quarry was near, and Lori was far too eager to be worried as she increased her pace to an all-out sprint when she spied a pale-green light at the end of the corridor.

In hindsight, that would prove to be her first, and perhaps greatest, mistake.

 _I brought my colleagues back with much of their intellect intact - a remarkable triumph for even the most experienced necromancer. Freed from the trappings of their humanity, they plied their terrible trade anew: the dead reviving the dead, on and on, down the years. Forever._

At first, upon crossing the threshold, the girls weren't entirely sure of what they were looking at. It was a room certainly, but one might also be forgiven for thinking that they'd stumbled into a movie set of sorts.

In the ominous green glow of the torches that hung off the walls strange machines of unsettling design were illuminated. Cords and wires snaked along the stone floor, crisscrossing under tables covered with vials and beakers of various neon liquids that bubbled and fizzed and frothed over with vile fogs that spilled over the sides and pooled onto the floor.

Several great machines stood throughout the laboratory – for what else could it be but something straight out of some old school Frankenstein movie – enormous metal cylinders with copper rings girdling the sides. Flashes of electricity emanated from the bronze spheres that sprouted from the tops, flashes of viridescent lightning connected the tesla coils with fiendish radiance to cast wicked shapes of living shadows to crawl across the walls.

And there, in the center of that brightly lit and yet baleful room, something hunched over; in the shape of a man but with none of the familiarity, tall and yet withered. The scarlet robes that covered the entirety of its body hung heavy, concealing the frame underneath unwavering and unremitting coalescence; with only empty blackness beneath the hooded head which loomed out underneath a leaden collar of twisted metal and insidious design.

 _The fiends must be driven back. And what better place to begin than the seat of our noble line?_

The Necromancer's Apprentice spread its arms out wide, skeletal talons scything through the air as it reached outwards and up towards the tesla coils. The whirring of the machines quickened to a terrible whine and all around the beakers and vials with their neon red and green liquids trembled as their contents began to bubble and froth with supernatural vigor.

 _"At long last... you have arrived..."_

Lori shuddered at the... the thing's voice. It was wrong, and like most things she'd come to expect of this place it wasn't what came at face value. The creature's raspy whispers belied a sense of dread, there was an unwholesomeness about it that bespoke of the raw power, the inherent execrable nature of the speaker. It echoed in the mind and lingered far longer than it was welcome.

Lori swallowed the rising emotions in her chest and stuffed them somewhere deep into her gut to deal with for later.

The eldest Loud girl took one confident step forward. There was power in that step, in spite of her shaking legs, and when she beheld the terrible visage of her foe, she closed her eye and thought of how he was responsible for everything that had happened to Lola, to Lucy. She thought of home and family and what she had to do, what she was willing to do, to get what she desired. She opened her eye and there was fire.

"So!" Lori Loud barked, and there was presence in her tone, in her voice. "You're the guy we've been looking for?" Lori paused for a moment and appeared to further examine the room around her, turning every this way and that as she tapped her chin. After a moment she finally turned back to the foreboding, gaunt figure and shrugged her shoulders. "Gotta be honest... I was expecting a little more, I'dunno, prestige?"

Electricity flowed from the tesla coils into the Necromancer's talons, and from there launched out with a sound of crashing thunder to dance along the walls in writhing, twisted shapes.

Luna and Leni flinched back at the display. Lori raised a brow.

"Yeah, no, I get it. Nice light show, I guess. It literally won't be enough to save you though." Lori took a few steps forward as she walked, and there was confidence there, comfort even as she began to find her place in all this and the usual haze of pre-battle ardor. "Y'see, I've been looking for you. Did some things I didn't want to, went some places I wouldn't normally. 'Cause the way I see it we don't have a choice but to do this. I want to go home, and near as I can tell that won't happen until you go away, whatever that takes."

Lori stopped a mere five paces from the robbed figure. Behind her Leni and Luna gaped, their eyes wide as their elder sister unfastened her morningstar and held up her shield. Lori banged her weapon against her shield three times in quick succession, a battle cry as good as any other, and she narrowed her one good eye into a narrow slit as she gazed up into that black maw that was the Necromancer's hood.

"So yeah, I've arrived. For you."

There was silence for a moment, but only for a moment. The light in the room began to fade, as if the creature was drawing it all into himself, and as he did so he straightened out his crooked back and seemed to grow in stature and malevolence with each passing second. The arms lowered and suddenly all the torches went out, and from the back of the room Luna yelped as her own torch was put to smolder. The only light came from the sinister glows of the alchemist's tools, or the humming flashes from the great machines.

The Necromancer glared down at the faltering young woman below him with an air of superiority, unmatched hostility, and uncompromising malice.

 _"You came... TO DIE!"_

With a gesture a great and foul wind swept through the laboratory, from where or whence Lori did not know but what she did know was that it was enough to nearly send her ass over backwards. As the wind whipped her face and stung her eye Lori grit her teeth and took a knee, groaning as she brought up her shield in front of her face to weather the storm.

And weather it she did, as the last of the reeking gust of miasma billowed Lori peeked out from behind her shield, a triumphant grin on her face.

"Hah! Is that the best you can-

Whatever smart-alecky comeback Lori had in mind was unfortunately cut short as the Necromancer proceeded to introduce the back of his hand to her face with such force that Lori was sent sailing through the air. She landed back-first into one of the alchemists sets that littered the laboratory, sending a hail of broken glass and sizzling liquids raining down as she fell into a crumpled, groaning heap underneath a pile of shattered glass and wood.

"Lori!" Leni shrieked as Luna reacted in far more visceral fashion, whipping out her pistol and firing off a round at the towering figure. If it struck home or not she couldn't tell, as though the bullet hit center mass the Necromancer did neither flinched nor called out in pain or alarm, merely turning his head slowly towards the noise that rang out in the dark room.

 _"DIE!"_

It moved like a shadow, undeniably there and yet, at the same time, somehow not entirely physical. The pain, however, most certainly was, and Luna could attest to that when it lashed out and wrapped its talons around her arm. Its grasp felt like dry ice and it sent stabbing pains of nettles and knives down her arm and into her bones and through her chest to freeze her blood and strangle her heart.

Luna gasped in pain and jerked back but the fiend's grip was like cold iron and it pulled her close. Face as white as a sheet Luna stared into that black, empty abyss and for a moment knew with terrible clarity that it was staring back at her, judging her.

It was at that moment that Leni swung her mace 'round over her head and cracked the lich right in the clavicle.

With a raspy hiss the Necromancer retreated, letting go off Luna's arm and throwing her back as it brought up a forearm to defend itself from another one of Leni's errant swings. Luna hissed in pain, eyes squeezed shut as she grabbed at her arm, already discolored and bruised where the monster had grabbed at her. It felt like that time she'd accidentally touched the stove when she was little, only a hundred times worse and so cold that it burned all the same.

As Luna recuperated Leni engaged in close combat with all the vigor she had recently become accustomed; and, for that matter, a surprising amount even then given that she'd only just recently fought off an entire mob of the undead not too long ago. So ferocious and sudden was her onslaught that the Necromancer was put on the offensive, always ducking back at the last minute to avoid another one of her swings, or neatly deflecting them with a quick jab of its fleshless arms.

It was becoming quickly apparent that whatever process of reanimation this being had undergone had left it a little more… complete compared to its fellows. The dead moved in a janky, lurching fashion, literally throwing themselves forward at their prey. Not so the Necromancer, whose movements could be described as fluid, graceful even. There was nobility in its elegance, as foul and horrible as it was there was no denying it.

Also, Leni wasn't entirely sure she was even hitting it, whenever she got in a lucky hit the robes that covered its form would merely flow over the mace like water, with no weight or resistance to let her now she'd even struck home.

It was frustrating, to say the least. Leni quite enjoyed the feel of hitting something, and she was trying her best after all. What's a girl got to do to get a little payoff!?

Her answer came by way of a strong grip on her habit and an immediate sensation of weightlessness. Swinging her legs wildly Leni gasped and grabbed at the bony arms holding her aloft, trying in vain to pry open fingers firmly entrenched or to wriggle free from their grasp. When that proved fruitless Leni swung her mace in a wide arc and caught the horror somewhere in its shoulder.

Her joy at the stinging jolt the impact left on her own shoulder was cut short at the lack of any noticeable reaction. It felt like she might as well have struck a brick wall.

The Necromancer drew in, pulling Leni in closer to that blank, empty blackness within its hood, and from those inky depths came a deep, guttural hiss that rattled her bones and froze her blood and sent a shudder rippling through her flesh.

There was a sudden crash of broken glass and wood and both Necromancer and Leni turned aside to see Lori all but literally explode from the ruined pile of rubble she'd been tossed through, a fire in her one eye and her teeth gleaming in the low glow of light that still persisted in the wake of such evil.

With a primordial scream Lori launched herself forward and planted her shoulder blade smack-dab on center mass, tackling the vile figure with such ferocity that it had little recourse but stumble backwards, releasing its prisoner who fell to the ground with a yelp. Lori immediately joined her, standing over her fallen sibling with a snarl on her lips as she made a great show of slamming her weapon into her shield, reveling in the cacophony.

The Necromancer, doubled over with its arms folded over its stomach, hissed; a guttural, raspy noise that echoed over the stone walls with its sinister overtones. Slowly it unfurled, and as it did so it seemed to change. Its form became... fuzzy, like a distorted image on an old tv set. As it grew in stature so did the distortions as its form warped and twisted in on itself, a hallucinogenic mirage-like effect that left one reeling at the sight and more than a little bit nauseous if we're being honest.

The static hit her like a smack to the face, a high-pitched electronic whining that echoed in the confines of the mind as it sent pulsating flashes of white-hot agony coursing through the brain. Lori grit her teeth and squinted her one good eye, blood running from her nose as she tried to glare down the disfigured, writhing shape through the growing haze in her vision. Below her Leni cried out in pain and fear, her knees in her chest and her hands clamped tightly over her ears as she tried to squeeze the pain from her skull.

As the shape drew closer the pain worsened. The pressure quickly mounted with each passing second, and Lori staggered as a fresh wave of anguish rolled over and through her. Her vision swam, her muscles cried out for relief, and her skull pounded like a drum as the ringing din her skull reached its crescendo.

And then, suddenly, there was new sound, unlike the other. It was loud, sudden and short but there was presence to it, weight even.

Near instantly the static dissipated, though the echoes still rattled in her head the pain of it was already fading and Lori found that her legs no longer betrayed her. Such good news would prove fortuitous, for the next thing she noticed was that the Necromancer was not but a two or three steps in front of her, reeling backwards with a deep moaning cry as it clutched its left hand with its right as black, tar-like blood oozed out from between clenched fingers.

Lori leapt back in haste, thought such promptness would prove her downfall as she tripped over her stunned sister and landed flat on her ass. Far behind her Luna fired off another shot, grinning as the Necromancer backed away from her sisters with another dry groan.

Such triumphant feeling soon vanished when from the darkness behind her there came a sound she'd grown to know and despise by heart.

The telltale rattling of bones, and the scraping of metal on stone!

With a swear Luna turned around and fired off another shot into the blackness. There came the clang of metal meeting metal, and then the dead rushed into the laboratory.

They'd been found! Or had the Necromancer drawn them in? Either way the horde marched further towards their prey, and though the close confines of the doorway kept the bulk of the mass at bay the foremost streamed in.

"Fuck!" Luna screamed, and hacked at the closest skeleton with her dirk, neatly severing a few gleaming skeletal fingers that had been reaching for her throat.

Did little to stop the rest of the skeleton from slamming its body into hers though. Now Luna wasn't some wastrel waif, she had a solid build for a girl her age and a month spent on such vigorous exercises had only served her well. That being said, the skeleton of a grown man, while not exactly heavy what with the lack of flesh and muscles and all the other bits and pieces, had a good few inches on her, and besides nobody likes being body-slammed anyway.

She took it like a champ though and thanked her lucky starts that this one seemed unarmed besides. If it had a sword or an axe she'd be boned.

Heh, boned.

She missed Luan...

A nice fist to the gut brought Luna back to the present and she responded in kind, grinning to herself when a rib snapped clean in half. Another blow quickly reminded her that skeletons didn't feel pain and she quickly brought up a foot, planted it square against the scrabbling thing's pelvis and kicked it back into its fellows who all fell to the ground with a great clatter.

Taking quick shallow breaths Luna backpedaled from the doorway as more and more of the skeletal horrors poured forth. One in particular caught her attention, a large figure dressed in metal armor wielding an axe, that was, as it often so happens, heading straight for her.

There came another, altogether somewhat less threatening presence, this time from behind her, and Luna allowed herself a brief moment to smile as a shield as large as she was appeared in front of her, blocking off the sight of the descending weapon. Luna could feel the impact even from behind the shield, but Lori didn't seem to even flinch, though her arm did jolt ever so slightly.

As Lori tanked the blow with all the grace of a glacier Luna took the moment provided to slip away and took up her usual position in the fray. Which was, of course, behind her eldest sister, peppering the rank and file with grapeshot and laying down the long-range support from the back.

Luna's philosophy was simply, stay as far away as possible from the things that want to kill you. Oh! And, y'know, help out the sibs. That too...

While Luna took up her usual role Lori took up hers, the frantic haze of battle descending upon her as she diverted her attention upon the undead. She was loath to take her mind off the Necromancer, but she knew she couldn't leave her back to an entire horde. Besides, the dead were easier prey, if she could just thin their ranks quick enough, she could return her tender ministrations upon their master without further distraction.

At least, that was the intention. Take this fellow for instance! As the rank and file skeletal swordsmen fell to Lori's morningstar another, altogether different breed of undead, eased its way through the struggling mass at the doorway. It was a queer looking fellow, whereas the others carried the look and design of having been soldiers or guards or even workers in their past lives this one carried the undeniable trappings of nobility.

That is, nobility in terms of society, there was nothing noble about those moldy bones; though it did wear a very nice-looking fur coat. What is that, is that mink? Oh, that's nice.

Sashaying with all the swagger of someone who spent their entire life self-assured of their own innate superiority the skeletal courtier made its way towards Lori. Luna watched with an air of uncertainty, had this been a swordsman or an arbalest she wouldn't have wasted a second in firing off a shot, but this thing didn't even appear to be armed, the only thing it carried was a large goblet filled with what looked like... wine? Had to be, what else could it be? Other than, like, Kool-Aid Luna didn't know any other red drinks.

Luna wasn't the only one hesitating, having dispatched the errant axe man with a devastating swing of her morningstar Lori turned to observe the swaggering skeleton with a bemused gleam in her one eye. What was this, she thought, stifling a snicker. Dumb looking thing didn't even have a knife. What, was the king coming down to greet the commoners or something.

Still grinning her fool head off Lori watched with a raised brow as the skeleton stopped just a few paces in front of her, just out of swing's reach. There it paused, and tilted its goblet, swirling the red liquid within. There was a foul rank odor that accompanied the movement, like whatever was in the cup had long ago passed its expiration date, and quite suddenly Lori realized that she had let her guard down.

And that's when the courtier upturned its cup and slung the contents directly into Lori's face.

The action was so sudden, so comical, that Luna had little recourse but to laugh. How couldn't she, it was like a scene straight out of Monty Python or something. It was absurd! Skeleton walks in, hand on its hips and a glass of wine in one hand, and just slings it all in some girls' face! Why, she could almost hear it say something snarky like, 'Hoe,' or, 'Bitch,' or something stupid like that.

Then Lori started screaming and all that merriment vanished in an instant. It was an ugly sound, Lori had always been an ugly crier, but this wasn't some stupid fight with Bobby or missing a sale or anything like that, this was pain, this was genuine agony.

With one hand firmly pressed against her eye Lori cried out and swung her weapon in a wide arc. Too wide, and too sloppy as well, and the skeleton stepped back well out of reach, its toothy grin gleaming eerily in the green light of the room. Stumbling to her knees Lori keened shrilly and shook her head, letting out a series of grunts and barks as she smacked the side of her head over and over again, her skull throbbing with each blow from her armored fists.

The skeletons extricated themselves from the doorway, advancing slowly towards the downed girl.

"Lori," Luna cried and raced to her sisters' side. She made it about halfway, at the sound of her sisters' voice Lori shot to her feet and spun around, catching Luna mid-stride with a snarl that stopped her dead in her tracks.

Stepping back hastily Luna stared at her elder sister with wide, fearful eyes. "L-Lor'?" she stammered; confusion evident in her tone. It was well warranted, Lori snarled like a feral beast and whipped her head around wildly, her one eye wide and red, blood leaking from the corners that she wiped at viciously with metal clad fingers. Her face was caked in rotten stinking blood, for now Luna could see that was what the goblet had been filled with, and her hair was a matted gore-encrusted mess. Spittle flew from Lori's mouth as she spat and frothed, howling like an ape as she swung her weapon wildly, this time at Luna!

"Dude!" Luna shrieked, ducking under an errant swipe. "Knock it off," she cried desperately, backing away from her crazed sister. She called out again to her sibling, trying to let her know it was her, it was Luna, but Lori wasn't listening. Whatever had happened to her had taken her away, Lori wasn't here right now and whatever was wore her skin like an ill-fitted coat bursting at the seams.

The dead watched silently, impassively. They made no sound, but then neither did they rush in. Were they men, had they still possessed such minds for things like tactics and the like they might've held back, let the two girls tear one another apart? Perhaps it is fortunate then that the dead have no minds, no will aside from their master's hate and rot, for while the dead did slow, they did not stop.

A skeletal swordsman strode right up to the incensed youth and swung its sword right into her shoulder. Fortunately for Lori the blow struck her pauldron, where her armor was strong and thick, and it was more a glancing blow if anything, poorly angled. Still, it was far too close to her neck or her head for her liking, and the wrathful teen turned on her heels and obliterated the skeletons ribs with a strong, hard swing of her morningstar.

Like a switch that had been flipped the skeletons suddenly surged forth in their lurching, cumbersome fashion. Lori let out a bestial scream and rushed to meet them, their weapons and bodies crashing against her shield like a tidal wave against a storm breaker. From the back Luna stared, her mouth pressed tightly as she debated her next move. Lori might be temperamental, but this as something else. Whatever that skeleton had done to her had literally driven her mad, and she wondered if she should even risk getting close to her while she was in this state.

And while she pondered a shadow crept closer. It was the movement that tipped her off, a flash in the furthest corner of her vision, but Luna trusted her instincts and ducked just in time. Red, warm, stinking liquid splashed against the stone floor, and Luna stared down at with outrage at such audacity. Turning her head Luna fixed the courtier with a glare while the skeleton stared down at the blood-stained floor, its expression unreadable what the lack of muscles and skin.

There was a click and the courtier looked back up into the barrel of a gun. Luna grinned and placed a finger on the trigger.

Now while the battle raged on something that should not have been forgotten stirred. The Necromancer's fleshless fingers danced along the floor, tipping and tapping until they finally closed around their quarry. Holding up its severed fingers the wight grunted and shoved them back into their sockets, the rotting blood quickly coagulated at the joints and with a whispered word of power the blood cooled and hardened.

Holding out its hand the Necromancer wiggled its fingers, satisfied at the movement. Good as new! That had been quite annoying, though the fact that these mere mortals had the gall to even lay their hands against him was more than sufficient in stirring his wrath. The dead do not feel, and the undead are slow to such passions but now that they had begun to stir, they came with all the crushing force of an avalanche!

A petite and soft groan caught the Necromancer's attention, and the hooded head slowly turned to see a fair-skinned young lady getting to her feet. Ah, yes, her. Another slave of the light then? No matter, he'd deal with her easily enough, she seemed the easier option compared to that woman-at-arms at any rate.

With nary a sound he glided forward, talons outstretched.

Leni groaned and sputtered, clutching the side of her head with one hand as she pulled herself to her feet. Her head hurt, like, a lot! What was that? Static or something? Like the TV at home when the antenna got all messed up only a hundred times worst because she, like, heard inside her head instead of her ears. Which was totes weird when you get down to it. Come to think of it, a lot of things were weird nowadays...

A shadow fell over Leni's face and she looked up to see hand descending upon her, skinless fingers splayed wide. With a shriek Leni jerked back and the talons scythed through the air just in front of her nose. The Necromancer pressed its advantage, striding forward as it made for another blow. With another short scream, this one less fearful and more retaliatory, Leni met the blow with one of her own. Mace met bone with a crack and the Necromancer retreated with a guttural hiss. Leni gave another halfhearted swing as she retreated, trying to put in just a little bit of space between her and the monster.

The shot of Luna's gun rang out even above the din of battle. Watching the courtier fall to the ground sans head Luna allowed herself a smirk before returning her attention back to Lori. The eldest Loud was getting proper stuck in, wading through the shattered bones of the dead and wreaking a heavy toll with each blow. And yet she was alone, she was surrounded, and she wasn't in her right mind. Luna had never seen Lori so violent but there was none of the usual strategy, her strikes were slow and clumsy and her shield saw more use as another weapon than a proper bulwark.

There was no way she could stand for long. Luna had to do something, she had to-

Another cry grabbed her attention and Luna turned around and gasped when she saw Leni ducking under another swipe from the Necromancer's graveyard claws. Luna was torn, stuck between both her elder sisters and unsure which side to turn to.

Luna took in the sight of Leni desperately trying to avoid or parry the gaunt monster's claws, wincing as lightning flew from its claws or the shadows along the floor crept closer seemingly of their own volition. She turned and looked at Lori, snarling like an animal and tanking blows to her armor as swords and spears just barely missed her head as the dead piled on.

Luna looked to Leni…

She looked to Lori…

For a second Luna did nothing. And then, quickly, and without looking back, she turned away and headed towards Leni.

Leni did not hear Luna shout her name; her attention was focused on far more prescient matters. Leaping backwards – and almost tripping on her habit – Leni glared up at the Necromancer and barred her teeth. As the struggle dragged on a familiar feeling had begun to build up in her gut, a burning sensation that brought pain and rage and even relief as it washed over her and a familiar golden light began to shine out from under her skin. As the Light grew the Necromancer drew back, one arm held over its open hood.

The hateful Light! It was here, even below the earth it haunted him, taunted him with its heat, its baleful glare! How dare she! How dare this stripling, this whelp, this weak little scrap of human flesh! How dare she bring it here! How dare she bring the light into his lair!

As Leni prepared her incantation the light only grew in its heat, in its intensity. So intense that Luna stopped short, a triumphant grin on her face even as she shielded her eyes. This was great! Leni would put on her little light show, fry that bugger, and then they'd mop up whatever was left and get back to the manor in time for supper!

With holy book held out and arms spread out wide Leni began the first words, melodious, powerful, they demanded attention, they sought purchase in this reality, desire and order made manifest, the enemy of all that is Dark.

Leni opened her mouth and began to spe-

A claw tore through the air and smacked the book out of Leni's hand. The magic fizzled out, the glow cooled, and the heat died out. Leni glanced off to the side where her book had been flung and looked back up at the Necromancer with mouth open and eyes wide.

Without pomp or grandeur, the Necromancer reached out, grabbed Leni by her throat, and with a jerk of its arm tore it out.

Leni dropped her mace and brought both hands up to her torn throat, instinctively trying the stem the tide of red that flowed freely from her neck. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She stepped back on shaking legs, tripped on her habit, and fell backwards, her head bouncing off the stone floor as it collided with the floor.

Luna watched, her blood cold, her mouth open in a silent scream. On trembling legs, she stepped forward, no longer feeling her body even as she willed it forward. She was numb, everything was numb, nothing existed anymore, it wasn't real. It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real, it couldn't be real she had to wake up wake up wake up wake up…

Falling to her knees Luna crawled towards her sister. She cradled her sisters head and gently brushed golden locks from out of her blue eyes. Dull eyes now, no longer vibrant. Empty eyes. Dead eyes.

Luna opened her mouth but choked and spat out her grief and pain onto the floor. A coldness had spread through her, chilling her blood, freezing her heart. It was like she wasn't even real anymore. Her sister lay there, cold, unresponsive, her beautiful habit stained red and all sticky from the blood that still trickled from her throat.

She was so cold... so still...

A shadow fell over Luna and a moment of perfect clarity enveloped her.

With a primordial howl Luna lashed out and the Necromancer leapt back, screaming its own shrill, horrible cry of pain. It gripped its right wrist and hissed in pain, its fingers tightened around the handle of Luna's knife which had impaled the hand and still hung there, spilling the foul thing's rotten blood to mingle with Leni's on the cold floor.

With a wrench the wretch yanked out the knife, taking more than a fair bit of its own hand with it, and threw the sliver of metal aside with a growl. How dare she? _HOW DARE SHE!?_

A sudden pressure exerted itself on the creature, a weight that crawled and moved its way up the Necromancer's body as its robes were pulled and tugged and even torn. Luna, crawling her way up the gaunt figure's robes, grabbed the metal collar around the neck and stared into the endless darkness inside the Necromancer's hood.

"CUNT!"

With a scream Luna reared back a fist and launched it directly into the abyss, wherein she felt her knuckles crack against something cold and hard. The Necromancer's head jerked back, and it let out a shriek that left Luna's head ringing. But she didn't let up, she kept hitting, she kept kicking and punching and her fingers grasped greedily at the hem where the hood began, trying to find a neck where they might secure purchase.

Such tender mercies did not suit well the fiend, who took the brief moment her fingers were not secure on its metal collar to send her flying with a shove. Luna landed a meter or so away, bouncing off the stone before landing in a heap.

Luna wasted no time, shooting to her feet with a snarl and an evil glint in her eyes. "Cunt!" she screamed again, red-face and frothing at the mouth. "Bleedin' cunt! Rottin' bleedin' sod! Shit-fuck piece of trash!"

Luna launched herself forward, body held low to the ground as she sprinted towards her quarry. As Luna passed her fallen sister, she scooped up Leni's mace and jumped, swinging the weapon in time so that it cracked against the Necromancer's head. The beast shrieked and jerked back but Luna caught hold of the metal collar and swung round, planting her feet squarely on its chest as she smacked it in the head again.

"You touch my sister?"

The mace cracked down again, the lich's head jerked back at the blow and the body stumbled backwards into an alchemists' table, sending its contents scattering into the ground.

"YOU TOUCH MY SISTER!?"

Luna leaned back and cracked it in the head again. And again. And again, and again, and again.

"YOU HURT MY SISTER YOU CUNT!"

The Necromancer threw up its arms and lurched forward, grabbing at the wretch grabbing onto his collar, trying desperately to wrench her free. Its talons found purchase on her head and it unleashed the full breadth of its influence.

The wave of static hate struck Luna with all the force of a hurricane. Like rolling waves of pure white-hot agony that struck her nerves with bolts of electric spite, coursing through her blood and echoing in her skull, and stabbing into her spine, and boiling her eyes in her own skull.

Her head hurt so bad, and Luna was distantly aware that her grip was slacking. She couldn't help it, it hurt so much. Her head...

...her head?

Her head!

With a cry on her lips Luna leaned back as far as she could and smashed her head forward, straight into the darkness beneath the hood. She met something hard and felt hot, stinking fluids wash over her face, and the Necromancer began to thrash in earnest, stabbing its claws into her leather greaves all the way into her skin.

Luna hissed in pain and gave the monster another headbutt for its troubles. Fleshless claws left their purchase to grab at her face, trying to pry her loose, and Luna bite down hard, choking on the brackish rotten blood that filled her mouth. She spat the two severed fingers to the ground and smacked the Necromancer in the arm with the mace, grinning savagely as the bone cracked and arm bent awkwardly at the elbow.

"YOU HURT MY SISTER, YA BLEEDIN' GOBSHITE!? I'LL RIP YER GUTS RIGHT OUT YER THROAT!"

With another scream the foul, undead thing began to beat Luna over the head with its own broken arm, the twisted joint proving an effective weapon on its own with each blow to the side or head. Luna of course retaliated in her own way, pulling and twisting her body this way and that, trying to throw the monster of course, trip it up, send it to the ground.

Such endeavors proved fruitful, though perhaps not how she might've imagined; or enjoyed, for that matter.

As the two combatants floundered and flailed wildly they left a streak of destruction around the room, upturning tables, breaking glass bottles, scattering papers and books, even trampling a few skeletons in their path.

A path which lead directly into one of the tesla coils at the back of the room, as it so happened...

With a lurch, and a hiss, the Necromancer heaved backwards, and, with a grunt and a swear, Luna shoved forward, and the back of the awful things made contact with the current running along the metal coils. The effect was instantaneous as the robe was set alight, a rotting stinking mess that burned as easily as kindling. Electricity ran through the shrieking monster's body and Luna herself suffered from it, a current running along her arms that left a burning trail of pain through her flesh and nerves, so sudden and painful that it was all she could do but let go and kick away, screaming in pain from her burns.

But Luna's pains would prove the more tender, for she was now separated from the Necromancer and so too the current that ran through its body. The Necromancer shuddered and shrieked, it twisted and convulsed and lurched as the electricity coursed through its rotten form, as its tattered robes burned away in scraps, as its metal collar grew red hot and sizzled away the fabric and parchment skin underneath. And yet it could not get away the current held it with an execrable grip, and it would not let go until something gave.

That something would give way very soon. The toll on the machine was too much, the current too strong, the interference too great. The metal groaned as the pressure mounted, steam and smoke rose from both the melting creature and the whistling, whirring machine.

And then it exploded.

Luna had already taken the initiative to begin crawling away, she'd been trough too many lab accidents courtesy of Lisa to not see where this was going. When the noise reached its height she curled up, held her hands over her head, and held her breath.

She didn't hear what came next so much as feel it. Smell it too, the heavy stink of burning cloth and cooked meat wafted in the air thick as smog, mingling with the smoke of the ruined machinery that filled the room.

Luna coughed and waved a hand in front of her face, trying to clear away the smoke. The air don here was already rank enough for her liking, no need to make it any more unpalatable than it already was. Dragging herself to her feet Luna stumbled forward through the fog, her eyes scanning the gloom for her prey.

She didn't have to look far. The Necromancer was leaning against a wall, a charred carcass more than anything else. It still moved, and it wheezed terribly, but it wasn't dead, not yet. Its robes had been burned away to reveal the ugliness that lied beneath, a warped and hideous thing, walking carrion. What the fire and lightning hadn't burned to crisp glistened, rotting intestines pooled out from the burst seams of its stomach to spill across the floor, and its black, filthy blood leaked out as thick and sticky as tar.

It was barely holding itself together. But it still held, even against everything it still held, defiant to the end as it tried to pull itself up off the floor.

 _"We're not... we're not... not finished... I'm... I'm... not finished... not ye-_

Luna brought her mace down heavy on the monster's head. And then she did it again, relishing the sound it made, not a crack like before, but a much softer, squelching sound.

 _"...wait..."_

Luna paused mid-swing; an eyebrow perked.

 _"I can... I can give you... everything... power... wealth... anything... you... desire..."_

Luna's eye twitched.

"Everything?"

The mace fell from her hand and hit the floor with a heavy clatter. Luna's eye twitched.

"Anything!?"

Luna growled, her face glowing red as her eyes narrowed down at the pathetic creature bleeding on the ground below her, this rotting mess held together only by its hate and its fear of death.

She reached into her holster and pulled out her pistol, cocking it back and savoring the way the Necromancer flinched back at the sound.

She pointed the gun at the monster's head.

"I want my sis back you son of a bitch!"

The shot echoed through the room like a rolling cloud of thunder.

* * *

Lori Loud opened her eyes.

The first thing she felt was pain. This wasn't unusual, she was used to pain, to the aches and bruises of days spent wandering and fighting and almost dying in some God-forsaken hellhole. To be honest she hardly even noticed them anymore, the only time they ever bothered her were when she was waking up anyway.

Aaaaaand just like that she suddenly recalled all the times she'd ever sniggered at the sounds her mom and dad made when they had to get up in the morning.

The very next thing Lori was aware of was the weight pressing down on her. With a roll of her shoulder and a push of her arms Lori hefted herself up, throwing off whatever was piling down on her with a clatter. She looked down and her eye widened when she saw the white bones and rusty armor littering the floor all around her.

Lori shot to her feet... well, no, not exactly. She tried too, but just as quickly fell back down. Her legs just didn't seem to want to work today. Everything felt slow, too heavy, like she was moving underwater. Her head pounded to a beat and her vision blurred with each pulse as a fresh wave of pain rolled through her body.

With a gasp and a wheeze Lori pushed herself to her knees, her body crying out mightily in protest at the movement. Her body, however, would have to wait, because as Lori started to come too so did the memories, and a sense of frantic urgency overcame her as she suddenly began canning the room for sign of... of something! Anything!

It wasn't easy goings, the haze in her vision coupled with the overall darkness the enveloped her made for a poor combination, but then, in the dying glow of half-filled beakers and the electrical lights of a single machine still gently humming, Lori spotted something that made her blood freeze.

Not but a few paces from her lay the Necromancer, its blackened, charred body propped up against the wall, arms hanging limply to its sides and its rotting guts spilled on the floor. It was dead, or at least she had a good feeling it was, the lack of any real head aside from a few greasy fragments tipped her off.

Lori leaned back and let out a deep, long sigh of relief. Finally, she thought, at least one thing came right of this whole thing. With that crossed of her checklist Lori felt, for the first time in a long time, that real progress had been made today, and the hope that one day she and her sisters would soon be back home burned just a little bit brighter.

Lori tried to get to her feet but fell back again. No use, she thought, she was just too beat up, she had to rest just a bit. And as memories of the battle replayed through her head Lori suddenly narrowed her eye and tilted her head to the side, ears pricked and a pensive look on her face.

 _...was that...?_

 _...did she...?_

...Yes. Yes, there it was. A… a sound. A noise. Faint, vague, weak, but there all the same, an incessant whining in her ears. It wasn't a voice, there were no words there that she could make out, but it was a noise. Muffled, indistinct, and moreover quite annoying.

Lori smacked the side of her head and although she winced in pain from the blow and her ears rang when all that subsided that noise was a bit more distinct, a bit sharper, more focused.

And with that focus came awful recognition.

Lori had lived with her sisters long enough to know what Luna sounded like when she cried.

Something black and sick twisted in her stomach at the sound and Lori frantically whipped her head around, trying to clear out the haze in her eyes and mind, the pain in her body. She had to move, she had to find her. Luna was crying, something was wrong, and she had to find her NOW!

And then she did.

Huddled in the middle of the room a blurry, vaguely feminine shape shuddered and coiled in on itself, barely even illuminated in the dying green glow. Luna, in contrast to her personality and her name, was not by and large a loud crier, in fact the only ones that had her beat were Lincoln (who was so quiet she often missed it and that worried her more than anything) and Lucy (who she had never actually heard cry before which was also worrying albeit for different reasons.)

Lori crawled closer, pulling herself along the floor, ignoring the fiery pain that shot up her arms with each movement. None of that mattered, all that mattered was her sister, she had to get to her sister, she had to… she had to…

Lori stopped cold.

There was something there, something glowing in the gentle glow of the room. Something golden, but marred by a splash of red.

Lori's heart stopped.

With a whimper one of Luna's hands, slender and pale without the bulky leather gloves to conceal them, reached out towards the golden tresses and wound them around her fingers, gently probing and pulling them.

There was disbelief. It couldn't be, it couldn't be! Lori wouldn't allow it, she wouldn't! This wasn't happening... oh please God don't let this be happening...

Slowly Luna's hand unraveled itself form the small strands of rust-stained sunlight to dance along their length, to tenderly massage their roots at the scalp, to trace the contours of what naturally followed.

They hesitated at the eyes. Sunken in on a pale face, staring sightlessly up at the ceiling, never to grace the world again with their beauty and joy.

And then, slowly, Luna closed Leni's lifeless eyes, and she held her sister close to her chest, and she began truly moaning in earnest; horror and loss and pain beyond measure in her voice as she lay bare her grief to an uncaring world.

Lori curled up until her knees were stabbing into her chest, she tore at her hair with a mailed fist, she smashed her other hand into the floor until the bones cracked under the armor, she held her breath until her lungs ached...

And she screamed.

* * *

The pen hit the desk with a clatter.

Lisa gasped and grabbed her chest, tiny fingers clenching around her shirt just above her heart so tight the knuckles all but glowed white.

She was cold. That was the best way she could describe it, she felt cold, she was cold. A sudden and terrible feeling of cold spread throughout her body and lingered like a winter chill, freezing her blood as her heart skipped a beat. It came without warning and left nothing but pain and an indescribable… _feeling_.

There was a profound sensation of… of _something_. _Something_ had happened, she didn't know what exactly or when or how, but _something_ had happened.

Lisa realized in a sort of detached, retroactive sense that her right arm was trembling. She sucked in a lungful of air through clenched teeth and let out a shaky laugh. Christ it was cold! Her teeth were chattering it was so cold!

A whimper caught her attention and Lisa's head shot up and her eyes settled on a tiny shape in the center of the room.

Lola whimpered and murmured to herself, hands clasped tight over her head and body curled up around her legs as she cowered in a sitting fetal position. She was shivering, trembling really, violent tremors coursing through her tiny body as her breaths became more rapid, shallower.

Lisa was going to throw up.

Launching herself out of her chair, Lisa, to her eternal credit, actually made it to the waste bin she'd kept next to the desk before expelling the contents of her stomach in a particularly vicious manner. Yes, vicious, a perfectly apt descriptor all things considered.

The nausea would run its course in due time, but the feeling that preceded it would not, could not, abate. Stumbling forward on numb, shaking legs Lisa lurched forward and wrapped up her elder sister in a sort of half-hug half-IneedyoutostaystillsoIdon'tfallover maneuver.

Highly effective no doubt. Though Lola surprised her by swirling around with a cry and wrapping her arms around Lisa in a tight squeeze that no matter how hard she struggled she couldn't hope to break. Not that four-year-olds are particularly renowned for their physical prowess, but Lisa liked to think she was exceptional in all regards compared to her immediate peers.

The hug was, in its own strange way, comforting. A bit too tight, but what little security it provided was welcome. It was also, as unexpected as it might've been, welcome, if only because this was one of the few times Lola had hugged her since... _the incident_.

Lisa had never been one for emotional validation, and Lola had never been one for the fuzzy-feelies herself to be honest, but it'd be a lie to say that the two had never had a pleasant encounter with one another and Lola's descent into silence and withdrawal on a level that would leave Lucy stunned was a hard pill to swallow.

Lisa would take what she could get, though the circumstances could certainly be better.

The door to the library was thrown open with such wild abandon that it slammed into the adjacent wall, leaving a nice doorknob size crack in the wood. Lisa flinched at the noise and twisted in her sisters grasp to turn and look and the intruder.

Lucy Loud stood in the open doorway, her shoulders heaving and her hands clenched tight and her arms trembling and she looked so scared and that shouldn't be happening, Lucy didn't get scared, that was about as wrong as Leni being sad or Lynn acting lazy or Lincoln without a plan.

 _Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong._

Lucy stumbled towards the group, her breaths quick and sharp and her voice quavering as she called out to Lisa in naught but a whisper of pain and malaise that the young genius had never heard from her gothic sister; Lisa had long suspected Lucy's sullen attitude was more a cry for attention and a general appreciation for all things spooky than actual feelings of depression and she couldn't help but feel a little vindicated, as awful as that made her feel in turn.

And as Lucy lurched forward on her twisted, ruined leg Lisa looked up just as her sister's heavy bangs flowed to the side, and for a brief moment, frozen in time, Lisa saw her sister's bloodshot eyes, the tracks of tears staining her porcelain skin, her little pink lips twisted into a grimace of hurt and suffering and... and...

And just like that, with one older sister bawling in her ears and another all but falling on top of her, her own breakdown imminent, Lisa realized with terrible clarity just what that feeling eating away at her insides really was.

A sudden and inexplicable feeling of complete and utter loss and despair.

* * *

The Hamlet lay silent under the baleful stare of the silver moon above.

The wind went whistling through the decrepit, skeletal remains of long abandoned houses and the empty streets had been bathed in rolling clouds of fog that spilled over the ground and hung heavy in the air. Not a soul was stirring, the only living things that moved were the rats and vermin that capered and scurried in the absence of the daylight comings and goings of the Hamlet's inhabitants.

The people had long since turned in, not even the foolhardy braved a night on these dark, foreboding streets, for it was often whispered that such ungodly hours favored the strange and unwholesome and that cultists and the like preferred to stage their horrific rituals at such times, and they'd only be all too willing to invite whatever poor unfortunate they should so stumble upon all alone in the night.

Some nights, perhaps, but not tonight. Tonight, was silent, and the only things that stalked the forgotten, sequestered alleys and dark corners of the Hamlet were shadows.

But then, from the gloom, suddenly, a noise. Distant, faint, but insistent and even in its rhythm. And steadily growing, though never louder than a whisper.

The trudging of boots, and the heavy footfalls of a carried load, echoing softly in the darkness.

And then, in the gentle glow of the fog, two silhouettes, mere smudges at first though steadily growing in outline, and finally into a defined recognizable shape.

Lori and Luna trudged through the streets silently, the only sounds shared between them the sounds of their boots scrapping the stones as they plodded along, a queer mix of listlessness and purpose in their stride.

Luna held up the back, her bloodshot eyes trained squarely on her eldest sister's back, as they had for the entirety of the trip. The distance from the Ruins to the Hamlet is a fair day's walk, but for Luna it might as well have passed in the blink of an eye. Only once had their march been interrupted, a stray slip sending Lori stumbling to her knees, but Luna had been quick to force her to her feet and shove her onwards.

If Lori objected to the treatment, she didn't voice it; indeed, she probably didn't even notice. For the entire journey Lori had faced forward, her eye grey and dull, a noticeable haze over her gaze as she stared, wide-eyed and empty inside.

In her arms she held her little sister, her legs dangling uselessly, her head lolling with each step. Leni Loud stared out into an empty, uncaring world with dead, cold eyes, her open throat laid bare to the night air.

The procession made their way through the gates with no hassle. They passed through the empty streets with no concerns. They meandered through the alleys with no interruption to speak of. It was as though the city was dead.

Perhaps that was for the best.

They passed the church without stopping. They ambled by the sanitarium with nary a pause. Such abodes were not their destination, a shared thought though neither would speak it aloud. Indeed, not a word had been spoken between the two of them for several hours now...

Emerging from the fog Lori took three steps forward and then, hesitantly, she stopped. The crunching of Luna's boots halted behind her, and the two sisters stared up at the imposing metal gates of the cemetery.

The wide-open gates...

Lori breathed deeply through her nose and continued forth. Luna stayed for a few more precious second before following herself, skirting around the edges of the gate, seemingly afraid to move into the open, or at least pass directly below the threshold of such a dour entrance.

Lori walked silently among the graves, her gaze fixed ahead and not even deigning to flicker, however briefly, between the tombstones. The air here was rank with the stink of wet earth and decay, especially on a windless night like this.

Lori came to the center of the cemetery and stopped. The sight of a gravedigger isn't exactly unusual in a cemetery, but the stout, mole-like creature that made its home in the Hamlet's cemetery had seemingly gone above and beyond the call of duty in this instance.

The ground lay open, like a great wound carved into the very flesh of the earth, a large mound of wet, stinking soil impaled with a shovel standing tall and proud next to the Gravedigger, who stood there silently though his eyes practically crawled over the dead body in his mistress's hands.

Lori stared on impassively, her own one eye wide and empty. She looked down to the body she carried and breathed onto her sister's face to blow away a strand of golden hair from her eyes.

 _Cold, dead eyes..._

Lori screwed her eye shut and tears flowed from the corners like a sprung leak. With a whimper she held Leni tight to her breast, squeezing her precious little sister close as she whispered into her ears. What she said was between sisters, and would stay that way forever, lost to the night and the cold of the grave.

And Leni lay in Lori's embrace for good long while, and Lori made her grief known, but time would at length make its intent know through nothing less than the peaking of the sun over the horizon as the darkness in the sky gave way to the hated light.

The Gravedigger, by all accounts a man of bountiful patience, cocked his head and gave a very pointed cough. Lori's head shot up and she gave him a hateful stare, but when he did not abate the scowl slowly morphed into utter misery and Lori's eye grew distant and hazy as she stepped forward.

The process of lowering a coffin is a surprisingly arduous task, but at length the deed was done, and after planting one last kiss on her sister's cold forehead the casket was closed and the Gravedigger resumed his duties.

Lori stayed and watched. She watched as the dirt covered her sister's coffin, encasing her in the embrace of the grave. She watched until the last shovelful of earth had been packed into place and the ground given a gentle tap with the shovel-head. She watched as the tombstone was erected into place, a simple shape but ornately decorated; Leni would've loved it.

And when the Gravedigger finished his duties and turned aside, whistling as he all but sauntered off into his little shack at the end of the graveyard.

Lori stared at the little grave. It didn't feel real, nothing felt real anymore. Her sister couldn't be down there, it wasn't real. She was back home, reading her fashion magazines and brushing her hair and talking about makeup and boys and... and laughing and smiling and... and...

Lori took a step forward and held out a hand towards the tombstone that jutted out of the earth. It was a lovely little thing, all decorated with engravings of roses and lilies and flowers and Leni would've loved it, she would've taken one look at that and just sighed, and she would've said something like, 'That's so pretty, I hope mine looks like,' and Lori would've told her to shut up because who wants to think about something like that?

Leni Loud, the tombstone said, but that couldn't be right. Her sister couldn't be dead, she was back home, wasn't she?

The pain was sudden and sharp, an explosion of agony in the back of her head. With a cry Lori stumbled forward and fell to her hands and knees as the world began to swim around her.

"It should've been you."

The second blow was not unexpected. It was, however, welcomed. Forced face-first into the dirt Lori sputtered and whimpered as the colors of the rising sun bled into the world around her, fading in and out of existence as her consciousness began to flicker.

"It should've been you," Luna hissed again, venom in her words and fire in her eyes as she glowered down at her sister. Her clenched fist lashed out and caught Lori in the temple, and though she jerked at the impact Lori made no effort to retaliate, only sinking further into the ground as she began to openly sob.

Luna's eye twitched and she barred her teeth. She was crying? _She was crying!?_

With a snarl Luna leapt upon her sibling, flipping Lori onto her back before planting her knees into Lori's stomach as her leather-clad fist rained down blow after blow onto her unprotected head. Lori made no effort to shake her off, to fight back, to even get away, she just sat there and took it, bearing the brunt of her sister's aggression.

Slowly, leather-clad fingers wrapped around her throat, and a strange bliss washed over her.

Luna glared down at her sister's pale face as she squeezed. "It should've been you," she whispered again, and there was raw conviction and hate in those words. Lori sputtered and gasped, and Luna grinned though her skull pounded, and her chest heaved with each breath and her eyes grew hazy as the tears came pouring down her cheeks.

"IT SHOULD'VE BEEN YOU!"

Luna's scream echoed through the gardens of the dead, sailing through the gravestones and over the gates to ring loud and clear into the air. From all around the faint remnants of her voice came back to haunt her, sinking into her brain and taunting her with her own words.

 _It should've been you..._

 _Should've been you..._

 _You..._

 _You!_

"It should've been you..." Luna sobbed, no longer talking to Lori, her fingers now splayed out over her sister's breastplate as she openly heaved and gasped.

"...I know..."

Luna looked down at her sister, that one eye open but dim, looking but not seeing, staring past her and off into the empty sky above them.

"You're right," Lori gasped, her voice raw with pain and emotion, "it should've been me. I wish it was me..."

The fog in Luna's mind dissipated with her sister's words, replaced instead with awful clarity. Luna scrambled backwards and to her feet, standing on trembling legs as she stared down at Lori's prone form with wide eyes and mouth open in horror.

"I-I didn't mean... I didn't want to... I..." Luna stuttered, her voice warbling as she held her hands up in front of her face. They were trembling, the leather stained red.

 _Whose blood is that_ , a voice in her head asked. _Which sister does that belong to?_

Luna pressed her hands tight against her head, clenched her eyes shut tight, and screamed. She took off down the path, weaving through the intricate design of the cemetery before disappearing beyond the gate, the echoes of her cry lingering long behind her.

And above the sun marched across the sky, dutiful in its eternal vigilance. It would make it halfway before Lori would awake. She had been threading the line between consciousness and oblivion for hours now, but with a snort and grunt she heaved herself into a sitting position.

Lori's skull no longer pounded, but that served no comfort. She couldn't feel anything, which in her mind was more than she deserved. Slowly hauling herself to her feet Lori stumbled her way out of the cemetery, pausing only a moment to glance back to Leni's grave.

"I'll be back to visit soon," Lori whispered, her voice scratchy and raw. "I promise sis…"

The people of the Hamlet kept well out of Lori's way as she made her way through the town's center. Conversations died in her wake, smiles faded, and people skirted out of sight. The peasants had been granted a month now to become more than acquainted with their Lady's foul tempers, but this was something new, something different and not at all welcome and as Lori passed them the whispers began in earnest.

Lori wasn't entirely sure where exactly she was going, nor did she entirely care for that matter, content for now to let her feet guide her where they will whether that be the manor or the bottom of the river. Neither, as it would turn out, for soon enough Lori found herself before the doors of the massive tavern that served as the central hub of this little community.

Lori stared at the oaken door in contemplation. Slowly, she raised a gauntlet-encased hand and placed it against the wood, tracing every crack and notch with metal fingers. This place needed a new door, she thought, and it suddenly occurred to her that was her job.

 _After the church_ , she resolved, and thickly swallowing her trepidation she pushed open the heavy door.

Contrary to her initial suspicions, the noise didn't suddenly stop at her entrance. Indeed, few seemed to even notice, and the ones that did quickly turned around and tried to seem as small and unassuming as possible.

But the trip to the bar was a slow affair, largely due to her now noticeable limp, and by the time she'd made it to a stool the overall boisterousness had largely died down to be replaced with confusion, suspicion, and perhaps the barest hints of fear and concern.

The Barkeep, for his part, didn't say much, simply content to wipe away at a dirty glass while Lori collected herself, gingerly rubbing at her poor abused noggin'. When it seemed like she'd finally composed herself he swooped in with well-practiced ease and gave a gruff grunt to catch her attention.

"Whaddya want?" he muttered, and though his voice was rough it was also quiet, and Lori found it, in its own strange way, comforting.

She mulled over his words in her head. Lori didn't drink, sure she'd had the odd sip here or there but for the most part the taste didn't agree with her and she was too paranoid of ruining her carefully cultivated social image to ever truly partake to any real extent.

Devoid of any real answer, Lori instead opted for the simple truth.

"I want to die," she muttered in her gravelly voice, staring at the man before her with her one grey eye.

The man paused his wiping just long enough to flash her a look, one brow raised as he appraised the young lady before him. He didn't need to look long, and with a world-weary sigh that perhaps conveyed a bit more than he wanted he began to lean down to reach under the counter for the _good stuff_.

"Wait!"

Lori's voice cut through the air like a hot knife and the barkeep jerked up to stare at her. The mistress suddenly seemed more animated, a strange yet all too familiar glint in her single eye as she stared at him.

"I want to forget," Lori said, much quieter this time though no less secure in its conviction. "I just want to forget. Please, make me forget."

He stared a little longer this time. He knew that look in her eye, he'd seen in many a time now, and he knew that lilt in her voice, that raw note of desperation, better than none. So, he nodded his head, and he said, "Okay."

And then he went back under the counter and started to haul out the _really good shit_.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, well, that was something... hope I didn't break anybody's hearts with this chapter! Ah, what am I saying, this is a Darkest Dugeon fic! You knew what you were getting into.**

 **But seriously, this was a pretty big chapter to put down, and it honestly has got me thinking maaaaaybe my chapters are a bit too big. Don't get me wrong, I love writing, but it can be a bit of a slog towards the end of each chapter and they do take a long time to get out because of it. Maybe if they were a little shorter I'd be able to get them out quicker. I dunno, what do you guys think?**

 **At any rate this chapter marks a change in the story, from here on out we're really going to start delving into the sickness of this place. With the first boss fight done and dealt with the girls have a lot on their plates, and there's still the other siblings to go out and find too. Perhaps a certain jock and young lad are up next? I have plans for them, such delicious plans...**

 **So yeah, let me know what you guys thought of this chapter, I love it reading any and all comments you guys leave and please feel free to send me a message if you have any questions you'd like me to answer in a more timely manner, plus reviews and critiques are always welcome! And hey, feel free to recommend this fic to anybody you think might enjoy it, I understand this is a bit of a niche crossover.**

 **And of course, most importantly, I hope you all have a wonderful day! See y'all next time!**


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